Evil Angel
by Zie Ayton
Summary: After he and Bakura begin to talk, Ryou realizes that his yami may not be so bad after all. Then Marik comes into the picture. Who will Bakura choose: his other half, or the hot Egyptian? Rated for language and implicit scenes. Tender and thief.
1. Leave Me Alone

**Chapter One  
**_**Leave Me Alone**_

A dark laugh rang through the alley. "Nothing like a Shadow Game to start the day." Bakura looked down at the boy rocking back and forth, staring blankly ahead of him. "Perhaps now you have learned your lesson, you fool!" He receded into the Ring, allowing a very dazed Ryou to emerge.

"What happened?" the boy asked. "Last I remember, I was…" He gasped at the sight of the boy in the corner. "Oh my! What happened here? Are you all right?" Ryou shook him, but he didn't answer. "What was happening when I blacked out? All I…" He looked down at the Ring around his neck. "Oh no. Not again. I have to get out of here. But he needs help…oh, why does this always happen to me?"

_He was insulting us. Why should you care if he gets any help? He deserved it._

"No, he didn't!" Ryou cried. "No one deserves that. Not even you, or that Marik."

_Marik's dark side deserved it. I would have done it myself had Marik known _all_ the secrets of the _Winged Dragon of Ra_. Where exactly are you going today?_

"What does _that_ have to do with _this_?!"

_Nothing. I figured it would be safest to get off the subject._

"It would have been safest not ever to have met you!" Ryou pulled the Ring off and threw it into the dumpster. "Just leave me alone!" He turned away and began to walk off, but stopped when he saw the glow on his chest as the Ring reappeared around his neck.

Ryou could hear Bakura's laughter in his head. _I'm afraid it's not that simple._

"You think I don't already _know_ that?" He held the Ring in his hands and thought back to all the attempts he—and others—had made at ridding him of the evil spirit locked away inside it. Tristan Taylor chucking it into the woods at Duelist Kingdom; the time Ryou tried to sell it at a flea market, then on eBay; countless trash cans and dumpsters, like the one right behind him. And it had always come back, every time, no matter how far away he managed to get it. He sighed and allowed it to drop to its place on his chest.

_Where _are_ you going today?_

"Out," mumbled Ryou.

_Obviously. Out where?_

"Leave me alone."

_Oh, come on. I'm making an effort to be nice to you, and you're being a jerk._

"Me? The jerk? It's a little late to be making an effort to be nice to me."

_I've made efforts before._

"Like what? You trapped me in the _Change of Heart_, forced Tristan to knock me out—"

_That was entirely his choice._

"You were kidnapping Mokuba Kaiba!"

_What's your point?_

"You've assaulted me, tempted Yugi to attack me with his _Slifer the Sky Dragon_—"

_I didn't let him, did I?_

"Because you need my body to survive!"

_Once again, your point?_

"And got me banished to the Shadow Realm while _you_ lived comfortably in the Millennium Puzzle!"

_That wouldn't have happened if Marik had known the secrets of _Ra_._

"It wouldn't have _happened_ if you weren't here in the first place!"

_But I am here, and there's nothing you can do about it._

"I could kill myself."

_Would you really?_

Ryou's breath caught. "If I had to." He started walking again. "I can't be talking to you in the city. People will think I've gone mad."

_Don't they already?_

"No!" There was a short pause. "Not all of them."

_But most._

"Just a few. There aren't _that_ many who have met you."

_More than you know._

"What do you do, go out while I'm asleep?"

_Maybe._

"You can't be serious!"

_And what if I am? Would _that_ be enough to make you _have_ to kill yourself?_

"Maybe." Ryou came to a halt just before the end of the alley. "You _have_ to stop talking to me now."

_I don't feel like it. I'll talk as much as I please, and whether or not you answer me is your choice. Where are you going?_

Ryou groaned and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

_So you _are_ going to try and ignore me. Let's see how long you can keep up _that_ losing battle. Are you going to see your friends? Maybe I can put my warm-up this morning to good use. I'm still after that Puzzle, you know._

The boy growled but said nothing.

_Yes, that Tristan should make a nice addition to my collection of victims. He needs to be taught a lesson about respecting the ancient powers of the Millennium items. So I take it you _are_ going to see them? How long do you think you'll be able to hold me back? A minute, tops? That sounds about right. And after I get Tristan, I'll get Tea. She's an irritatingly loyal little girl, and her friendship speeches are starting to get on my nerves. Then Joey. I have the perfect Shadow Realm torture for him: I'll make him invisible to his sister, so he'll always be beside her, but she'll always believe he abandoned her. Yes, that will work nicely. Yugi…ah, I'm sure that Marik's dark side won't mind if I copy the punishment he used on Mai. That would suit Yugi perfectly. And finally the Pharaoh. I think I'll give him the same treatment as Joey, only I'll use Yugi instead of Serenity. I'll give _you_ a choice when I'm finished: you can join your friends in the Shadow Realm, or you can use one of _their_ bodies. They won't be needing them after all. What do you think of it, Ryou? Do you like it? What's your favorite? I like Pharaoh's torture myself, but of course, I also happen to particularly hate him so—_

"I'm not going to see my friends today!!!" Catching sight of several people staring curiously, he smiled and said, "Sorry! New cell phone. Don't even need an ear piece for it!" He glared down at the Ring as they turned away.

_I knew you'd break._

"What do I have to do to make you leave me alone?"

_Find me my own body. But I may not take it. I like yours._

"What's that supposed to mean?"

_I like looking this way. And I like being your alter ego. It makes sending people to the Shadow Realm all the more satisfying._

"You're sick."

_Your point?_

"Stop saying that!"

_Where _are_ you going?_

"If I tell you, will you _please_ be quiet?"

_I might._

He sighed. It was worth a try, however unlikely it was that it would silence him. "I'm going to the mall to get my little cousin a present. Her birthday's in a few weeks, and I have to get it shipped to America." Realizing he was attracting more stares, Ryou hurried on. Once he was past them, he pulled out his cell phone and pretended to be talking on it.

_I didn't realize you had an American cousin._

"You really don't know much about me at all."

_I'll start now. What's your favorite color?_

"You said you'd be quiet!"

_I said I _might_. What's your favorite color?_

Ryou was beginning to resent Bakura's sudden sociability. "Leave me alone." He put his phone back into his pocket.

_What's your favorite color? You know I'm not going to stop until you tell me. How long will it take for you to give in this time? Last time you lasted for all of about five minutes. I give you two and a half. How long do you give yourself? Do you know _my_ favorite color? I suppose you would say you didn't care if you intended on answering me, but you obviously don't intend on answering me, do you? No? Ah, well, I can keep talking all day. I like to talk. I'll tell you my favorite color: red. Long ago, I had red eyes. People feared me. I was the ultimate thief. Then—_

Ryou pulled out his phone again. "Blue. My favorite color is blue."

_I was right. Two and a half minutes. How old is your cousin going to be?_

"She's going to be eleven."

_Which side of your family is she from?_

"My father's. She's his younger brother's."

_What does your uncle do for a living?_

"He's an archaeologist. My cousin is living with our grandparents in some state in the Midwest."

_What's her name?_

"N—"

"Bakura! Hey, how are you?"

_Do you mind if I send Tea to the Shadow Realm? Like I said, she gets on my nerves._

"Yes I mind! I'm sorry, but I really have to go now. _Please_ don't call back. I'll call you! Good-bye, now!"

_Don't count on me waiting._

Ryou put his phone away and turned to face Tea. "Hello, Tea. I'm fine, thank you. How have you been?"

"Great! Hey…Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and I are meeting at the arcade this afternoon. You wanna come?"

Ryou's expression shifted from pure annoyance to one of nervousness. "Um, sorry, but…I'm shopping for a birthday present for my cousin."

"That's awesome! Can I help?"

"Well…no, actually. He's very into army men and G.I. Joe and pirates."

Tea's face fell. "Oh. All right. See you later!" She waved and walked off.

_I thought you said your cousin was a girl._

He pulled his phone back out. "That's because she is. I just don't want to risk bringing Tea on a shopping trip with _you_ present."

_Do you not trust me?_ Bakura asked with a hint of mock hurt to his voice.

"No, I do not trust you." Ryou entered the mall. "I wish I knew what to get her."

_What's her name?_

"Leave me alone."

_Don't put that phone away! I'll just talk until you can't take it anymore. I give you a minute and fifteen seconds this time. I'll start where I left off. I was the ultimate thief. Then the Pharaoh stepped in and destroyed me. My spirit was locked inside the Millennium Ring. So really, it's your friend Yugi's fault that I'm here. After all, he _is_ the reincarnation of the ancient Pharaoh. You know, I think I enjoy this. Keep ignoring me. I like talking, and it's time you learned about _your_ dark side. I like watching you squirm. Five thousand years ago—_

"What do you want to know?"

_What's her name?_

_

* * *

_This is definitely not my best work, but it came out of my head so fast that I knew I had to continue and put it up no matter how much it sucks. I'm going to be putting up the first six chapters immediately because I don't know the next time I'll get to get on the internet with this computer. I hope you enjoy this!

P.S., this is my first shonen ai, so please be considerate. Be considerate anyway, of course. As my yami says, "Flamers can go to hell and burn in the flames they've sent." Thank you for choosing to read this!


	2. Are You Hungry?

**Chapter Two  
**_**Are You Hungry?**_

_I'm sorry about your mother and sister, Ryou. If it's of any consolation, I lost my mother and sister as well._

"What? When?"

_Well, the Pharaoh sacrificed my entire clan to create the Millennium items, if I remember right. If that's not the case, I know one thing for sure: they all died. All but me. So, I have an idea of how you feel._

"Oh. That's far worse. Losing mother and Amane was horrible, but I can't imagine having lost my father, my friends, _everyone_. I'm sorry."

_Don't worry about it. I've learned to cope with it well enough. I'm still furious, but I've managed to eliminate the grief I first felt. Thank you for your sympathy, anyway._

"Thank you for yours." Ryou lay back on his bed. He had been answering Bakura's questions for hours. While in the mall, it was simply to keep him from talking about sending people to the Shadow Realm and devising eternal tortures for them, but by the time he had arrived at the post office, he was answering because he _wanted_ to. No matter _why_ Bakura was being so friendly, it was nice to finally get some of the things he'd been thinking off his mind. Especially Amane. Her death haunted his dreams, not so often anymore, but it still happened occasionally. He had never told anyone about her before, not even Yugi, the most compassionate, empathetic person he had ever met. Something about Bakura made Ryou keep talking, delving deeper into himself, revealing secrets he had vowed would remain hidden. And to no one other than the person who had caused him so much physical and mental suffering within the past few months.

In return, Bakura had been explaining his own past as best he could, trying to rationalize his actions. He, also, had kept the secrets of his past just that: secret. But Ryou deserved to know who he was holding within himself. Not only was he revealing his ancient past, but he was also admitting what he had done since he had chosen to inhabit Ryou's body, which really _did_ include going out at night while Ryou slept. _Only a couple of times, though. I don't recall sending anyone to the Shadow Realm, but I may have shaken them up a bit. Sorry._

"That's all right. You must get restless, locked inside of me all the time. I suppose you need to get out without anyone protesting your every move."

_Well, it's really not all that necessary. Remember, I lay dormant for five thousand years before meeting you. I think I can handle a few days._

"I would ask if that means that you'll stop going out at night, but I think I already know the answer."

The dark chuckle. _Of course it doesn't. You know, I've always wondered. You're obviously quite attractive…why don't you have a girlfriend?_

"I'm obviously quite attractive? What?"

_Oh, of course. You can't sense it. I can sense their thoughts, in a sort of way. I can feel both the stable and unstable aura around a person. My stable aura is so strong that most people can sense it _without_ the power of a Millennium item. If they didn't sense my aura, they would be all over you. You know, I'm surprised that _you_ can't sense auras. You've had the Ring for quite a while now._

"You haven't exactly been stepping out of my mind and waving 'hello' either. If you hadn't come right out and shown yourself to everyone, I probably wouldn't even realize you were here, even now, after all that's happened."

_Why don't you have a girlfriend? If you approached them, they would ignore my aura._

"To be honest, none of them appeal to me. I don't really see the obsession there is with women."

_What are you trying to say? That you've decided you're gay?_

Ryou flinched. "It's not black and white. I don't know. I've never been attracted to men either."

_Maybe you should look into she-males_, Bakura suggested with a snicker. The glare he received from his host just made him laugh harder.

"It isn't funny. You can't know what _this_ is like. I have a dark spirit living inside of me that enjoys scaring people out of their minds, so anyone who might help me decide is too afraid to approach me. I doubt that _you_ ever had that problem."

_Of course not. But long ago, when I was a terror in Egypt, I longed for someone to come and fill the void of my clan. Of course, no one came. That's why I harbor such resentment for anyone who has a strong relationship, whether they be friends or lovers. There was no one to save me from myself when I was at my worst. Believe it or not, I was far more evil then than I am now._

"You're right: I don't believe it."

_Think what you will. I feel like going out and doing something right now._

"Does it involve the Shadow Realm?" Ryou asked suspiciously.

_Not yet, no. I'll try to refrain from it if you let me take over without a fight._

"Should I trust you?"

_Why not?_

"Have you not been listening to my reasons?"

_Pretty please?_ Bakura begged sarcastically.

"I'll take back over if you try anything," warned Ryou.

_As if you have the strength. I'll do my best not to waste my time on minor distractions._

"One more thing."

_What is that?_

"If you want to talk to me, take out my cell phone."

_I'll think what I say, thank you. If I feel like talking, then fine, I'll pretend I'm talking on your cell phone._

"Think what you say? Is that possible?"

Bakura drew Ryou into the Ring and spoke aloud. "Of course. How did you think Yugi and the Pharaoh communicate? Whispering?"

_Not unlikely_, he retorted.

"Well it's silly, especially during a duel."

_Where are you going?_ Ryou asked as Bakura walked out the front door.

Bakura smirked. _Very funny. Out._

_Obviously. Out where?_

_Leave me alone._

_Oh, come on. I'm…I can't remember the rest._

_Good. That was a boring conversation anyway. Though it did lead to quite a good one. I don't know where I'm going just yet. I just felt like getting out of the house. I'm Egyptian: I like the open air._

_That makes sense. I'm not being sarcastic!_ he added quickly.

_I know. Maybe the arcade…_

_No!_

_Why not? Oh, of course. You don't want me to be tempted to hurt your friends. All right, not the arcade then. Are you hungry?_

_A little, yes_, admitted Ryou.

_So am I. Let's go to a café. I'm sure in a place as big as Domino there will be at least one with outdoor seating. You should probably order._

_Why?_

_If they mess it up or give me any trouble, I may…forget my manners. If you want to keep me from doing anything foolish, you'll order for us._

_What do you feel like eating?_

_I'll know when I find it. I don't want your help. I'll choose where we eat. And don't protest unless you think they may anger me._

_I won't._

_Good._ With that, Bakura took a left and aimlessly wandered the streets of Domino until he came upon a promising restaurant. "I wonder how this is?" he asked pointedly.

_Never been here. We'll both get to try something new._

"I guess I'll just have to find out," Bakura concluded. _All right, you can come out for a few minutes. I'm not sure I can handle a line._

_I thought you said you were good at waiting._

_Not when it's because of some imbecile who can't figure out which ingredient was _supposed_ to go into the sauce. Your turn._

Ryou walked into the building to find that it was practically empty. It looked like all the customers were eating outside. Who could blame them? It was a beautiful day. He walked right up to the counter. _Hurry. What do you want?_

Hard choice. Everything looked equally appetizing. _Surprise me._

"How can I help you today, sir?" asked the pretty lady who walked up to the register.

"A chicken sandwich, please."

"What would you like to drink with that?"

"Just water, thank you." Ryou dug in his pockets for money. His eyes widened. _Who's the imbecile now? You left my wallet at home!_

_Oh. Whoops._

_Thank you for making _me_ look like the idiot._

_When I said I was making an _effort_ to be nice to you, I meant that I am making an _effort_. I could choose to take things back to the way they were before at any…I sense someone. Another Millennium item._ It was true: the Ring began to glow and all the arrows pointed straight behind them.

"What's going on with your necklace?" asked the cashier.

"Oh, nothing," Ryou laughed. "It's just a toy. It's sort of computerized, and it glitches up constantly. Heheh."

_Let me out._

_WHY?_

_Because I recognize that aura. I just can't place it. Whoever it is, they wield a Millennium item. I don't believe you wish to face them. If it's just Yugi, you can take over again. Allow _me_ to deal with anyone else._

_Just don't make a scene._

_Fine._ Bakura turned around. The visitor—visible through the glass door—was the last person he would expect, considering he no longer _held_ a Millennium item. _Marik._

"Um, sir, I need you to pay for your food."

He spun around. "I-I…heheh…my wallet's gone missing. Is it too late to cancel the order?"

"Yes," she replied. "Somebody's got to pay for it."

"Bakura, did you forget your money?"

He flinched. "Yes, Marik. I haven't seen you in a while. Please, I don't want to inconvenience you."

"It's fine. I don't know what else to do with it, and I may as well spend all of it while I'm in Japan. You know how much a yen's worth can decrease in a short time."

"I'm sure you would regret it later."

Despite Bakura's protests, Marik asked for the price and pulled out twice the amount. "Just make that two orders. I was about to eat anyway."

When they received their food, Marik and Bakura went outside and sat under one of the umbrellas. "What are you doing back in Japan?"

"You might call it…a business trip."

"I thought as much. Don't tell me you're still after the Puzzle and the three Egyptian God cards. You failed once before, and you can rest assured that you _will_ fail again. Trust me, I've had my fair share of humiliating defeats."

"I need your help, Bakura. Yugi has something I want back, but I don't think he'll be handing it over without a fight. I need a master thief."

"Let me guess: you want the Rod back, but you gave it to Yugi for safekeeping. Now you've changed your mind and want to try to steal the Pharaoh's power again. The problem is, the Pharaoh himself will see right through any act you put on. So, you want _me_ to steal the Rod from him and return it to you. Once you gain the Pharaoh's power, you'll give the Rod to me…at least you'd better. If, of course, that is your scheme."

_Not this again. Try to stay out of trouble. This is just a huge battle waiting to happen._

_Not this time. I don't have to duel to gain the Millennium Rod. It doesn't work like the Puzzle. I just have to sneak into the game shop and steal the Rod. Simple._

_But wrong._

_Sorry. This is exactly what I've been waiting for. Remember, Marik possesses many of the other Millennium items already. Helping him will ensure that they are added to my collection._

"Bakura? Are you listening to me? Bakura?"

"What? Of course. I'm just…interested in my food."

"You haven't touched it."

He looked down. "Oh."

"What were you doing?" Marik inquired with more than a hint of suspicion.

_May as well tell the truth. He doesn't realize that I'm trying to be decent to you._

_No! He'll—_

_Hush!_ "Recall that I must have a host. He's not happy that we're talking. I can't blame him. Your schemes put him through a lot."

"There would have been no need to put him through so much had you just done as I commanded!"

"Hush, now, Marik. We don't want people listening in on us. I didn't do it because I knew Yugi _had_ to win, even if it meant hurting his injured friend. I need this body to… You want me to steal the Rod? I want you to figure something out, and to execute it. Make me a body."

"What? That's insane! Just take one of the soulless shells you've created yourself."

"I want a body much like this one, so I don't have to deal with this boy's constant protests."

"Send his mind to the Shadow Realm. Problem solved."

"Not quite. Like the Ring, he seems to keep coming back, no matter how far away I send him. If you can figure out how to copy his body, I'll be glad to steal the Rod for you. But not until you have something that will _work_. Do we have a deal? Or will you have to find someone else who can sneak past the Pharaoh?"

* * *

There you go. Chapter two. The title is _really_ bad, but I couldn't find anything else in the dialogue that even remotely described it. Review please!


	3. Rubies

**Chapter Three  
**_**Rubies…**_

"Do you really expect Marik to figure out how to get you a body?"

_Yes. He isn't as dumb as he can seem. His intelligence rivals that of Seto Kaiba. Of course, that's not saying much._ He laughed. _Thank you for letting me out today. I've been needing to stretch my legs._

"You're welcome. Is it a long shot to ask for something far smaller in return?"

_Probably. What is it?_

"Would you _please_ stay out of trouble? Don't hurt anyone, don't scare anyone, don't _steal anything_."

_That's a long shot. I can't promise that._

Ryou sighed. "At least I tried. I need to sleep. _Please_ don't get up in the middle of the night tonight. Can you promise _that_ in return?"

_That's a shorter shot. I'll see what I can do. Good night, Ryou._

"You know my name. What is yours?"

_Bakura. Really. Ironic, no? Perhaps you're _my_ reincarnation. That would explain a lot._

"Yes, it would. Well then, good night, Bakura." He switched off his light and crashed on his bed.

_What was it like to be tired? It's been five thousand years since I've been tired. If Marik upholds his end of the bargain, then I shall once more experience human weakness. It will be worth having a body of my own._

_I can still hear you_, came Ryou faintly.

_Am I disturbing you?_

_A little, yes._

_Sorry. I'll try to be quiet until you fall asleep._

"Thank you," he whispered.

Bakura nodded and sat in a chair at the other end of the room. He had not yet let Ryou see him, but he supposed that tomorrow would be best. What would also be best was not to frighten him by being there when he first woke up. He resisted considering when Ryou would be awake enough and instead tried to focus on a more soothing subject. He reflected back to the music he had listened to as a child. Pipes. Lots of pipes. Accompanied by the gentle pound of a drum to keep the rhythm. Yes, that had been _his_ music. _That_ was what he fell asleep to every night. Until things were turned upside-down by that wretched Pharaoh! Everything destroyed…horses galloping toward him as he narrowly escaped a tomb…the blood…the awful things he did…

"Aah!"

Bakura's head snapped to Ryou, who had bolted upright. _Are you all right?_

"I-I-I…this is embarrassing."

_Why?_

"A nightmare," he mumbled.

Bakura grimaced. _Whoops._

"What do you mean, 'whoops'?"

_Ancient Egyptian music, a destroyed town, horses, blood, even more horrific sights?_ He sighed at the nod. _Sorry. I was trying to help you sleep, but my memories took a wrong turn._

"Thank you for trying. The music _was_ helping, but…I think I'll just get something to drink." Ryou went downstairs, not realizing that he was being followed.

As the water began to boil, Bakura spoke. _Ryou, before you drink that, I need to show you something. Look in the doorway._

"Hmm?" He turned where he had been directed.

Bakura slowly walked out of the dark hallway and into the lit kitchen. _I figured you should know that I _do_ have a form._

"You…you look exactly like me. Except…"

_Except for my eyes. I told you this morning._

"Yes, but…I didn't expect them to be so…brilliant. They're…"

He raised a curious eyebrow. _Yes?_

"They're…they're…I…it will sound strange."

_Go ahead._

"No, really. It…" Ryou couldn't resist the beckon that called from within them. "They're beautiful."

Bakura looked down, shocked. That was new. _You're the first person to say that, you know. Most people think of blood, and that's far from what they consider beautiful. What did _you_ think of?_

"Rubies."

He was speechless. Nobody had ever _liked_ his eyes. _And this coming from the boy who just had a nightmare involving my ancient past. All that blood and you thought of _rubies_?_

"You were stealing rubies from the tomb."

_Was I?_

Ryou nodded. "I'm sure of it."

_Your water is evaporating._ He watched curiously as the boy poured some of the remaining water into a cup and placed a teabag inside it. _That's not something you see too often anymore._

"What?"

_A teabag. What kind are you drinking?_

"Chamomile. It seems so stereotypical, but tea really _is_ better than coffee. Coffee can only wake you up; tea can do whichever, depending on what you add to the leaves."

_How long does it take to steep?_

"Only a couple of minutes. Since when do _you_ care about tea?"

_Just curious._

"Speaking of, since when do you care about _me_ at all? And _why_? Your change of heart is really peculiar."

_To be honest, I don't know. I got tired of being _everyone's_ enemy. You were the closest person. I can go back anytime I like. Am I bothering you?_

"No. Just curious." Ryou removed the bag and took a sip. "Ouch."

_Bravo._ Bakura stood there, leaning against the doorframe, observing his host. The kid was really quite charming. No wonder the girls admired him from afar. He was so naïve, so much like a child. After all he'd been through, he was still quite innocent. Whoever Ryou fell in love with would be very lucky, and a fool not to love him back.

"Did you say something?"

_I didn't mean to, if I did._

"Oh. All right." All he had caught was _Ryou…love…lucky…fool_. Had Bakura been thinking about him? And why? Or had he misheard? Or imagined it?

_It was not meant for your ears. Forget about it. It doesn't concern you. I promise that._ What a lie. Bakura didn't want Ryou to get the wrong idea, and he knew that the boy was prone to just that. _Your mind is no place for my thoughts. _Please_ forget it._

"I'll try." Ryou finished his tea and cleaned up the kitchen. He yawned. "I probably should have done this before drinking my tea," he muttered.

_Let me take you upstairs._

"Hah?"

Knowing he would not be resisted, Bakura took over Ryou's body and walked up the stairs. He laid down. "There. Less work for you."

"Thank you, Bakura," Ryou murmured as he nestled into his pillow.

Bakura smiled to himself as the boy quickly drifted into an easy slumber. _Just like a child._ He froze as a chill passed through him. _Not again._ He quickly took over Ryou. "Really, Marik, is this at all necessary? I told you, I'm not getting you the Rod until you figure out how to get _me_ a body."

"I did."

"What? Already?"

Marik nodded. "I want my Rod back, Bakura. It's simpler than you may have thought, and your Ring is the only tool _required_ to do it. You can bring cards to life using the powers of the Ring, correct?"

"Yes. What of it?"

"Think for a moment."

"Stop playing games and just…ah. Use a card to replicate Ryou's body. I see. It will be a body made from the Shadows, so…I _will_ have my own body, but I _won't_ be human. I suppose you didn't get that far into it, though."

"No, I didn't. My only concern is that you now retrieve my Rod and return it to me. I want it _tonight_."

"But…" Bakura caught himself. He couldn't reveal his promise to Ryou: it would be the only clue Marik needed to realize that he was beginning to form a bond with his host. "This body needs rest. It's been having troubles sleeping."

"Good for it. You'll have your own body soon enough, and then this boy's health will be of no concern to you. Now _get my Rod_, or you shall face dire consequences!"

"Continue speaking to me that way, and it will be _you_ who faces dire consequences. Remember, _I_ still have my Ring. You have nothing."

Marik laughed softly. "Don't be so sure, Bakura. There are forces that can defend against the ancient magic of the Millennium items. They are not so useful in offense, but you cannot touch me."

"We shall see about that." He called upon the power of the Ring, but it was blocked. "What is this?"

"I told you, Bakura. _Get my Rod_!"

"Oh, I'll get your _rod_ all right, but perhaps not the one you have in mind."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean? Hold up your end of the bargain, Bakura!"

He growled. "I never said _when_ I would deliver you the Rod. I'll get it tomorrow, while Yugi is at school. His grandfather won't be a problem."

"It's the weekend."

"Oh. Right. I knew that." A voice ran through his mind. "_Would you _please_ stay out of trouble? Don't hurt anyone, don't scare anyone, don't _steal anything_."_ He sighed. _I told you that was a long shot. _The voice spoke again. _"At least I tried. I need to sleep. _Please_ don't get up in the middle of the night tonight. Can you promise _that_ in return?"_ He had intended on it, but now… _I said it was a shorter shot. This is the only way to avoid having to hurt or scare anyone. After tonight, you'll be free. There's your return favor._

"Well?"

"All right. But only to avoid making a scene out of this. Yugi probably won't even realize it's gone missing until it's far too late." He turned for the door. "And what exactly do you think _you're_ doing? Get out of this house. I don't want anyone coming into Ryou's bedroom in the middle of the night to find _you_ standing in the corner."

"Are you on a first name basis with your host, now?"

"What am I _supposed_ to call him? _My_ name is Bakura. Get out of this house."

"I'll wait here for you. You had best be back with the Rod by morning, or you may have a surprise awaiting you."

"I'll be gone and back before you're able to count to one thousand. Given you know how to count to one thousand in the first place." He chuckled at the glare he received. "I'll be back long before morning, Marik. You don't have to worry about that. Just don't touch anything."

"I'll try to restrain my curiosity," he replied sarcastically.

Bakura growled before taking to the streets. _Where is that game shop?_

_Take a right here, another right two blocks down, and it will be the third building on the left._

"Ryou?" he whispered.

_Rubies…pipes…_

"So he's sleep-talking," he mused. "How unexpectedly useful. Wait…what did you just say?"

_Pipes…_

"No, before that."

_…another right two blocks down…_

"But after that."

_Rubies…_

"Rubies? What about rubies?" Was Ryou dreaming about _him_?

_Brilliant…blood…beautiful…Bakura…_

Most likely. But what was to be expected? The boy had just experienced some of Bakura's most horrific memories. They weren't going to just disappear. He threw it aside and took Ryou's directions. "Perfect. Do they lock the doors? Are there any alarms?"

_No alarms…key under mat…rubies…_

"Thank you." Bakura entered the shop with no troubles. _Yugi _does_ live here, doesn't he?_

_Yes…rubies…_

Silently Bakura crept up the stairs and pulled out the Ring. One arrow was pointing toward Yugi. _Obviously. He would never take his Puzzle off. These are pointing to my prize._ He opened the box he was led to and opened it. _Fool._ He grabbed the Rod and disappeared as silently as he had come.

_Rubies…rubies…rubies…_

"Please stop that," Bakura murmured. "Not only is it starting to get on my nerves, but if Marik hears you once he retrieves his Millennium Rod, he'll banish you to the Shadow Realm. _Please_ be quiet."

_Of course…rubies…_

He groaned. _Just great. Trying to get him to fall asleep has just caused me more problems._

_No…your eyes…rubies…_

That would be it. _I should have adhered to my original plan and not shown myself until morning._ He returned to Ryou's bedroom to find Marik reading a book that had obviously come from Ryou's bookshelf. "Marik, I thought I told you not to touch anything."

"I said that I would _try_ to restrain my curiosity."

"You were being sarcastic."

"Well, yes…but then I began reading the titles. Your host has a surprisingly good taste in literature."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to know you said that. Here's your Rod. I expect it back. Especially if your ingenious plan to get me a body doesn't work. I will hunt you down."

Marik held out his hand and wrapped his fingers around the Rod. "Thank you. I assure you that—if you are strong enough—you will be able to create a body from the Shadows. And if you aren't strong enough, then you are at about the same level as Seto Kaiba." The comment elicited a rare chorus of laughter.

"Well said."

"Thank you. I'll be going now." He stopped at the door. "By the way, I got to nine hundred seventy-two. But I was counting slowly, and I think I got lost somewhere in the six hundreds." With that, he left.

"What?"

_I'll be gone and back before you can count to one thousand…rubies…_

"Ah. I wasn't serious."

_Rubies…_

* * *

You know what I want. Review, please!


	4. Escaping This Fusion

**Chapter Four  
**_**Escaping This Fusion**_

"Marik was here last night?!"

_Yes. He wanted me to tell you that he likes your taste in literature._

"Something tells me he didn't come here to read my books."

_I would certainly hope so. No, he came because he figured out how to get me a body._

Ryou tilted his head. "But it had only been a few hours. How is that possible?"

_I told you, he isn't as dumb as can seem. The answer has been right in front of me the whole time._

"What did he suggest, that you use a Duel Monsters card?"

He lifted his eyebrows. _Actually, that's exactly what he suggested. You were paying very close attention to that conversation, weren't you?_

"I was sleeping."

_It's said that you retain more information that you hear while you're sleeping than you do when you're awake. You remembered something that I didn't, and I was the one who said it._

"I was sleeping."

_Don't you know that you talk in your sleep?_

"I _what_?!"

_You talk in your sleep_, Bakura replied with a laugh. _It seems that I gave you nightmares. You were babbling on about ancient Egypt._

"I…" _Not quite_, he thought to himself.

_Then what _were_ you dreaming about?_

His eyes widened. "Did I say something?"

_You don't have to talk, remember? You can communicate through your thoughts._

"Oh. I didn't remember."

_Tell me, what _were_ you dreaming about?_

"I…I…oooh…I don't remember. Just that it wasn't just ancient Egypt."

_Perhaps I can refresh your memory. You kept muttering _rubies_. You told me it was about my eyes._

Ryou flinched. "Did I?"

_Yes. You must remember _something_. Tell me about it._

"I…I…" His eyes darted around. "I really don't remember."

_Then why the reaction?_

"You have to admit that's not something I would expect to come out of my mouth when I'm asleep."

_I suppose not. But I think you know what I'm talking about._ Bakura crossed his arms. _I'm very patient, Ryou, and I have plenty to talk about. I can talk until it comes back to you. I'll tell you what happened last night. After you went to sleep, Marik came in and told me his plan to get me a body. He insisted that I get him the Millennium Rod _immediately_. I know that I promised you I wouldn't go out last night, but if I didn't, Marik would have suspected something._

"You went out last night?"

_I told you it was a shorter shot. I'm sorry. I'll create my own body as soon as I can figure out which card would allow me to do that. Then you won't have to deal with me anymore. I snuck into the game shop—_

"How? How did you get in?"

_You told me._

"I _what_?!"

_You gave me directions and told me about the house. I didn't cause any trouble, I promise. I was in and out. Yugi never stirred. By the way, why do you know there's a spare key under the mat?_

Ryou's eyebrows rose. "I know that?"

_Apparently._

"News to me. As for the card, what about _Multiply_?"

_The card? Oh, yes. I'm not sure. After all, it only works on _Kuriboh_._

"Surely you've used cards out of their Duel Monsters purpose?"

_Well, I suppose_ Chain Energy_ worked a bit differently..._

"When did you use _Chain Energy_?"

_Never mind. But where would I get a copy of _Multiply_?_

"I'm sure that between Yugi's grandpa and Duke Devlin, there's got to be at least one. Let me get it for you."

_You would do that?_

"Why not?"

_I thought you said you didn't trust me. This could be a very dangerous move on your part. Getting _Multiply_ for me would, hopefully, allow me to get my own body. Surely you understand the risk in giving me free reign._

"I do. But I want to have free reign again. It's a risk I can take."

_You've only known me for a day, yet you're willing to allow me my own body. You really _are_ naïve and innocent._

"I'm what?"

Bakura hesitated. He hadn't meant for Ryou to hear that. _I…I was thinking last night. As much as you've been put through, you're still very childlike, very innocent._

"For most of it, I wasn't conscious of what was going on."

_True. But I'm still surprised that you don't hate me. Just yesterday you were explaining all the abuse I've put you through. Why the change of heart?_

"I didn't know you at this time yesterday." Ryou stood. "Where should we go first? Duke or Grandpa?"

_Duke. I don't want to risk running into Yugi._

"All right."

:::

"Sorry, Bakura. I don't have any individual cards. You should check Yugi's grandpa. He usually does. Sorry."

"That's quite all right, Duke. Thank you for your help."

"No problem. Tell Grandpa I said hi!"

Ryou waved. "Will do!"

_Great. I really didn't want to go there._

"Don't worry." He put the Ring inside his shirt. "He doesn't know that I still have this."

_He can sense me._

"He's probably out with his friends. It's not likely that he'd spend a beautiful weekend like this in the shop." He pushed open the door.

_I hope you're…you're wrong._

_What?_ Ryou looked up to see Yugi behind the counter. _Uh-oh._

_You said it._

"Hey, Bakura!"

"He-hello, Yugi. What are you doing inside on a day like this?"

"Grandpa's sick. I said I'd work the shop for him until he's better."

"Oh. That's nice of you."

"What are you doing here?" Yugi asked.

"Well…" _What _am_ I doing here?_

_It's a card. You're changing your deck._

_All right._ "I've been working on my deck. Since the tournament, I've really come to enjoy Duel Monsters. I've been borrowing ideas from all of your decks, and I like the _Kuriboh_ with _Multiply_ strategy. I'm looking for _Multiply_."

_Nicely done._

_Thank you._

"I'm not sure if we have one. Have you checked with Duke?"

Ryou nodded. "Yes. It seems he doesn't sell individual cards. I don't have the money to be going through several packs to find one card."

"Oh. Well, I'm not sure…let me go ask Grandpa. I'll be right back. Feel free to look around while you wait."

"Thank you!"

"No problem."

He took Yugi's advice and did look around some. _The game really could be interesting. You've never let me play, though, so I can't know for sure._

_Sorry. I needed to win._

_I understand._ Just as he was picking up a spellcaster pack, Yugi returned with a card in hand.

"Grandpa let me open one of our packs. We'll sell the cards individually, anyway. Here it is." He handed it to Ryou, who pulled out his wallet. "No. Keep it. Grandpa won't mind."

"But Yugi…"

"Really."

_Take it, Ryou._

_But it's wrong._

_Not if he's offering._

_I_…

"Thank you, Yugi. I really appreciate this. I owe you!"

_Bakura!_

_Sorry. I need this card, and if he's willing to give it to us for free, we may as well take advantage of it._ "Thank you!"

"It's no problem. Everyone's going to the arcade later today. Would you like to come?"

"I…no. I've been a little busy lately. Maybe some other time!"

"All right. Bye, Bakura!"

Bakura waved as he walked off. _You can take back over._

As soon as he gained control, Ryou ripped his cell phone from his pocket. "_Why?!_"

_I said sorry._

"That was entirely unnecessary! It wouldn't have been more than a couple of yen!"

_I know. I left a little on the counter._

Ryou paused in surprise. "You did?"

_Yes. Yugi will just think he missed it earlier. Are you happy?_

The boy put the phone away. _Yes. And a little shocked. What happened to the Thief King you were telling me about?_

_As I said, I'm tired of being _everyone's_ enemy. And perhaps the good deed will offset some of the negative karma I've accumulated over the years._

_Perhaps. What do you want to do now?_

_I want to test Marik's theory._

_All right. Home then._

The short walk seemed endless. Ryou and Bakura were feeding off each other's anxiety over the whole experiment. Things could go horribly wrong if it didn't work right. Things could go horribly wrong if it _did_ work right. By the time Ryou reached the front door, they were both jittery from their unrest. "This is it."

"Do you trust this? If there's any apprehension in your mind, say it now. You have a powerful intuition."

_I don't have any doubts._

"All right. _Multiply_!"

A splitting sensation ran from their head to their feet, like they were being torn in two. But they weren't.

"No!"

_It didn't work, did it?_ Ryou asked quietly.

Bakura shook his head sullenly. "No. But it felt like it would. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes of escaping this fusion up."

_Escaping this fusion…I'm remembering a card. I just can't quite place it. Two monsters coming apart…_

"Of course!" shouted Bakura excitedly. "_Diffusion_ breaks a fusion monster back into its pieces! Ryou, you're a genius!"

_I…I am?_

"You figured it out! That _has_ to be the card! And we already have it!" Bakura pounded up the stairs and pulled his deck out of its case. "Where, where…" He tossed the cards to the floor. "No…no…no…if this isn't it…" He growled furiously. "Where is it?"

_What is that?_

"What?"

_That card, on my desk. It fell off the deck when you pulled it out._

Bakura flipped it over. "Thank you!" He paused. "Apprehension?"

_None._

"If this doesn't work," said Bakura, "I don't know what will. _Diffusion_!"

Both cried out in agony as their intertwined souls were violently ripped apart. Both fell to their knees, unable to stand. Both moaned.

"Did it work?" came Ryou's weak whisper.

"I…I'm not sure. I know how to test it."

"How?"

_By thinking. What color are my eyes? Why don't you have a mirror?_

Ryou tilted his head. "How do we test it, Bakura?"

He jumped to his feet. "It worked! Now seriously, why don't you have a mirror in this room?"

"Why do you want one?"

"What color are my eyes?" Bakura looked directly at Ryou, who gasped. "Well?"

"Red."

Bakura laughed. "Yes! But just to be sure…" He walked to the door and placed his hand on it; it was completely solid. Elated, he threw it open and ran to the nearest hall mirror. "I'm back! I'm back! Haha! Hahahaha!"

"Um…" Ryou stood behind him, a little uneasy. It probably _had_ been a bad idea to give Bakura his own body. "This is great. I'm glad it worked."

"Thank you! I know that earlier I thought this would be returning your favor, but I am more indebted to you now. Thank you!"

"I ask one thing: don't let my friends see you."

Bakura nodded. "All right. They won't. You're the only Bakura. Just one more thing, and I'll leave you to your life."

"What is it?"

"My Ring."

"Your…oh. Of course." Ryou slipped it over his head and watched as Bakura threw it around his own neck.

"There." Just as he reached the front door and was turning the knob, an all too familiar voice struck him cold.

"I didn't realize the two of you were so close."


	5. I'LL Make The Tea

**Chapter Five  
**_**I'LL Make The Tea**_

"Are you _jealous_, Marik?"

"Am I…no! What gave you that idea?"

Bakura chuckled. "It was a joke, Marik. Don't be so defensive."

"Oh…well, it wasn't funny."

"Really, Marik, don't be so defensive. What gave you the idea that I was serious?"

"Knowing you, you would be."

"You really don't know much about me at all." His own voice came to mind. _I'll start now. What's your favorite color?_ He smirked to himself.

Marik's expression darkened. "What's so funny?"

"It's got nothing to do with you."

"Who _does_ it have to do with? Your little boyfriend up there?"

His head snapped up. "My _what_?"

"It was a joke, _Bakura_. Don't be so defensive."

He growled. "You're going to _think_ defensive when I get my—"

"Who's down there? Bakura? I thought you were leaving." Ryou appeared at the top of the steps. "Did you forget somethi…oh…um…hello, Marik. How have things been? I heard you like my taste in literature. I was just getting myself a cup of tea. Would you like some?" he asked in a nervous attempt to avoid confrontation.

"I am thirsty, actually. What kind do you have?"

"Um…several," replied the boy, bewildered. "You can have a look, if you like. It's not iced," he added quickly.

"I don't like iced tea myself. Bakura, surely you would like a cup?"

"I'm sure Ryou will need it more later than I do right now."

"It's fine, Bakura. I have plenty. I'll get the water boiling while you pick what you want." He dashed into the kitchen, followed by Marik and Bakura.

The three sat in an awkward silence as they waited for their tea to steep.

It wasn't long before Ryou jumped up. "I'll be right back. If I'm not back within a minute or so, please take the teabag out of my cup." He hurried off.

It was Marik's turn to snicker. "I see you've become friends with your ex-host. Why?"

"Because, unlike you, I am not able to get up and talk to a sibling or friend. It gets a little lonely after a while."

"Since when do _you_ get lonely?"

"It's been five thousand years in the making. I think I'm entitled to at least one friend."

"So you chose Rubies."

Bakura stiffened. "What did you just call him?"

"Rubies. Surely you could hear him muttering in his sleep last night? That was just about all he said."

"Why were you listening to him? Obviously you didn't just hear him mumbling aloud."

"It wasn't intentional. I was getting the feel of the Rod back, and I heard him. It was kind of hard to ignore."

_Tell me about it._ "Don't mention it to Ryou," warned Bakura as he took both his and Ryou's teabags out of the cups. "You don't want to let that steep for too much longer. It can get pretty strong. And never call him Rubies again."

It was at about that time that Ryou walked in. "Thank you for getting the teabag. Did I miss anything?"

Bakura shook his head. "No."

The expression on his face told Ryou otherwise, but he decided not to pursue the subject with Marik around. "Um…I guess it was you who took A Tale of Two Cities off my bookshelf. Have you ever read it before?"

"It's not exactly in the tombkeepers' library. I'll have to change that."

"Oh. You could take it if you like. I've read it more than enough times through, and if I ever need it I can always find another copy."

Marik blinked a couple of times. "You would give it to me?"

"Sure."

"I…I may borrow it while I'm in Domino."

"It's a long book."

"I have time."

"I'll get it for you."

"You really don't have to right—"

"If I don't, I'll forget. Just a moment." Ryou disappeared again.

"Well that's a surprise," muttered Marik.

"That he's being so generous? You have no idea."

"How much more generous has he been?"

"Think about it. He's talking to me. He's offering me a cup of tea. Just yesterday, he was listing all the abuses I've put him through. The kid has a heart of gold." Bakura jumped at the voice that came from right behind him.

"Here's the book, Marik. I hope you enjoy it."

"I…I'm sure I will," he replied as he reached out and took it. "Thank you."

"And you may want to take out that teabag," suggested Bakura.

"Oh. Yes, I might."

:::

Bakura and Ryou had remained in the kitchen after Marik had left, still drinking their tea.

"Why did he call me Rubies?"

Bakura sighed irritably. "Forget about it. The comment was entirely uncalled for."

"Why did he call me Rubies?" Ryou persisted.

"You talk in your sleep, remember? He overheard you after I handed him the Millennium Rod."

"Oh." He fell silent and took another sip from his cup.

"You know, Ryou, you never did tell me what the dream was about. How bad could it possibly be?"

"It's not that it's bad. I just don't like talking about my dreams. Dreams are meant only for the person who has them."

"Where did you hear that nonsense?"

That put Ryou on edge. "It's just something I believe, all right? I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm sorry. It's just that, back home, we shared dreams to decipher their hidden meaning."

"That was a long time ago."

"I know."

"Do you have anywhere to go? I mean, now that you have your own body, you can't just sit in the corner of my room all night."

"I _could_," he began, "but I suppose neither you nor your father would like that. No, I really don't have anywhere to go. I was just thinking about that. Another annoying limitation."

"We have a spare bedroom."

"I'm not sure your father would like _that_ either. If I stay here, he's going to be _very_ confused."

"He's rarely around. You could just go out while he's in."

"With my luck, he'll arrive unannounced."

"I'll think of something to tell him."

Bakura shook his head. "I appreciate your offer, but I think it would be best if I didn't trouble you any longer."

"You wouldn't be troubling me!" Ryou cried, far too eagerly.

A faint smirk crossed his lips. "You may regret saying that."

"_Please_ stay. I've only just met you. You're not the only one who doesn't have many friends."

"You don't have many friends _because of me_."

"So? Without your constant aura, if they aren't still terrified of me, then there will have been no harm done. And like you said, there are those who would love to talk to me. I haven't got any problems concerning friends. You don't deserve to be cast into the streets."

"I know of some people who think otherwise."

"They don't know you."

"I can think of two who would think otherwise even if they _did_ know me. Their names start with a 'Joey Wheeler' and end in a 'Tristan Taylor'."

"Give them some credit."

"They would show no compassion."

"Were you talking about _me_ when you said, 'The kid has a heart of gold.'?"

Bakura choked on the sip of tea he had just taken.

The boy jumped in his seat. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"Would you like a glass of water?"

"No, I'm fine. Really."

Despite Bakura's protests, Ryou placed a half-filled glass in front of him within a few seconds. "You really should drink it."

He did so just to be courteous. When he had drained the glass, he looked at Ryou. "Yes, I _was_ talking about you. This proves what I was saying."

"What were you talking about?"

"Marik was surprised by your generosity."

"Really?"

"You do realize that me assaulting you was _his_ idea, don't you?"

"I didn't know that. It doesn't matter, anyway. If I remember what Yugi and Joey were talking about at the lunch table the day we all returned from the Battle City finals correctly, then he's been stuck underground most of his life with nothing to read but ancient Egyptian scriptures. He needs something more interesting to read."

"He recognized at least a few of the titles."

"He'd never read A Tale of Two Cities. If he liked it, he should get the chance to finish it."

"Once again, you have proven my point." After he finished his tea, Bakura started toward the sink.

"I'll do it."

"No you won't." But, upon Ryou's insistence, he simply sat the cup down and leaned against the doorframe.

As he cleaned up the kitchen, Ryou asked, "Where are you going to go?"

"How do you intend on dealing with your father?"

:::

That night, Ryou lay on his bed, deep in thought. The day had been far from ordinary, and even further from dull. He had helped a five-thousand-year-old spirit get a new body, had a cup of tea with Bakura and Marik, and offered to cover for Bakura while he stayed in the guest bedroom. With a sigh, Ryou rolled onto his back. _Why is Bakura so interested in my dream?_ he wondered. He turned his head when he heard the door click. "Bakura?"

It opened all the way. "You should be sleeping."

"So should you."

"I think I may have insomnia."

"Join the fricking club."

Bakura laughed. "That's the worst thing I've ever heard you say."

"What are you doing in here?"

"To be honest, I opened the wrong door."

"The only rooms up here are the three bedrooms."

"I know. I was downstairs."

"Why?"

"I was looking for the teapot. I gave up, and was going back to the guest room. I stopped a door too soon."

"Why were you looking for the teapot?"

"The tea seems to help _you_ sleep. I figured I may as well try it for myself."

"Oh," Ryou muttered, a bit shocked. "Well…I'll make the tea. I know where everything is. I probably need a cup myself anyway." He rolled out of bed and started down the stairs, Bakura close behind. Only a couple of steps down, he gasped as he missed the next one and began to fall forward.

Before Ryou had gone more than a couple inches, Bakura caught him and pulled him back to both feet. "_I'll_ make the tea," he said as he wrapped an arm tightly around the boy's waist. _Can't let him fall again_, he thought, trying to rationalize the gesture with himself. _Then why not put your arm around his _shoulders_, like a normal person?_ asked another side of him.

Ryou's stomach turned. _He's just making sure I don't fall again_, he told himself. _Oh, really? How can you be so sure?_ He took a sidelong glance at Bakura. _Because it's _Bakura_._ The other half of his mind gave a flicker of a grin. _Whether that's the only reason or not, you're _enjoying it_. How would you know? I _am_ you. Oh…that's right._

_I'm being courteous. Keep telling yourself that. It's true! Keep telling yourself that. I'll send you to the Shadow Realm! I dare you. Grr…_ Bakura kept a hold of Ryou even as they stepped off the stairs. _See? See what? You aren't just being courteous. YES I AM!!!_

_He isn't letting go. Are you going to protest? No. Didn't think so._ Ryou allowed Bakura to pull him along into the kitchen and sat in the chair he pulled out for him. "Thank you."

Bakura simply nodded. "Where's the teapot?"

"On the top shelf of the third cabinet."

Despite as sure as he had been that he could make the tea himself, Bakura realized that he had very little idea of how to fix it. "How much water?... Which burner?... Which knob turns that one on?"

Ryou giggled. It felt good to be the one giving directions for once. "Do you see the pictures above the knobs? The dot filled in is the burner you're turning on. It's the second from the bottom." Ryou watched as Bakura successfully got the teapot started heating. "Thank you for doing this, Bakura. You didn't have to."

"You don't need to be tripping with a pot of boiling water in your hands."

"I was falling down the stairs. And I've made myself tea at this hour plenty of times before."

"After tripping down the stairs?"

"Actually, yes."

"Where was your father?"

"Out. The water's coming to a boil. Just put the pot on another burner to let it cool for a minute."

"Why didn't you do that last night?" Bakura asked, remembering his own laugh as the boy burned his tongue.

"I forgot."

"Hmm." Bakura turned and pulled out the cups and teabags. "It _was_ chamomile, right?"

Ryou took the cup that was handed to him and sipped his tea. "Why do you care so much about my dream?"

Bakura choked again.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes. You really need to stop asking me these questions right after I've taken a drink."

"What questions?"

"Unexpected."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Bakura sighed. "It's all right. Are you really sure you want to know?"

"How bad could it possibly be?"

"It just bothers me. I really wouldn't be nearly as interested if you hadn't gotten defensive about it. Nor if you hadn't said it was 'not quite' about ancient Egypt."

"Oh. What about it worried you _before_ I said that?"

"What you muttered when I asked what about _rubies_."

"What did I mutter?" Ryou asked apprehensively.

" '_Brilliant…blood…beautiful…Bakura…_'."

Ryou's face flushed. "Did I?" The dream was suddenly quite clear. It began to race through his mind…


	6. This One Is MINE

**Chapter Six  
**_**This. One. Is. MINE.**_

Ryou stood in the middle of the vast desert. "How did I get here?" he wondered into the surrounding darkness. He bent down and scooped up a handful of sand. "Where _is_ here?" As the sand sifted through his fingers, he realized he was wearing a long, dress-like garment. "This is very odd…"

_I see that you have finally arrived…_

"Who said that?"

_Finally arrived…_

Curious, Ryou walked toward the voice, his sandaled feet dragging through the sand. "Where are you?"

_I see that you have…_

"Hello?"

The song of eerie pipes rose in the air. Drums pounded along, and soon the world around Ryou was pulsing with music like none he had ever known before. As if they were being summoned, the moon and the stars began to appear, casting the desert into a silvery midnight glow.

Ryou quickened his pace. He came to a halt at the top of a dune and gazed into the valley below him. A small band of men danced with a leaping fire, singing and laughing into the night. They, also, were dressed in light tunics and sandals. The scene seemed to be beckoning, begging Ryou to join. Slowly, he slid down the dune and came right to the edge of the firelight. Just as he was about to set foot in the camp, a deep instinct told him to run, run now, while it was still possible. Ryou tried to ignore the feeling, but it held him back, just beyond the sight of the men. Finally, he heeded the inner warning and turned to run…straight into someone.

"What are you doing out, kid? I thought Thebos made sure all the captives were tightly bound. He'll hear about this."

"Ca-captives?" Ryou stuttered. "I-I-I'm not a captive! I was just passing by, and I was enjoying your music, but now I really must—"

The man laughed. "If you enjoy our music, then why don't you stay a little longer? Just come in here, where you won't be so lonely." He grabbed Ryou's arms and dragged him into a tent, lit only by the fire from outside. On the ground lay seven boys, all around Ryou's age. "We were looking for another one. It looks as though you arrived just in time to enjoy the _real_ party. Thebos!" yelled the man as he rapped his knuckles on another man's head. "Tie this one up. The others will be in here shortly."

"Wha—?" he moaned, rubbing his skull. "Oh, okay."

"_Now_, Thebos."

"Of course, Master Geb!" Thebos took Ryou's hands from Geb and bound them and his feet tightly with a short length of rope.

"Don't let the others take that one."

"Yes, Master Geb." He waited until he could no longer hear the footsteps of his _master_, then turned Ryou to face him. "My, you're a peculiar one. Pretty, though. Master Geb never has taken to any but the most attractive. You should be honored that he chose _you_ out of all these fine young men." He tossed him to the back of the group.

Ryou groaned in pain as he tried to sit himself up.

"I wouldn't try that," came the whisper of one of the captives. Ryou turned his head to see the dimly lit form of a sandy-haired, tan-skinned boy. "They don't like defiance. Just stay down and let them have their way."

"Where am I?" Ryou asked.

"What do you mean? Obviously it's Egypt, and obviously it's a camp in the middle of the desert, but other than that, I have no idea. Is there something more to it?"

"_Egypt_?"

"Didn't you know that? Who are you?"

"My name is Ryou. I'm from Japan. What's going on here?"

The other boy sighed. "We've been kidnapped by thieves. Thieves who have taken to this awful pleasure of…_men_. _Young_ men. Like us. How did they find you?"

"I…I don't know how I got here. I was in the desert, and I heard music, and I followed it, and I tried to run, but Geb caught me, and…" Ryou groaned.

"Oh…I'm sorry. My name is Marik. I was just coming up from my home when they grabbed me. By the time my father reached the surface, they had already ridden too far into the distance for him to see." Marik's head snapped to face the entrance. "Get _down_!" he hissed.

"What? Wh—" Marik's bound hands knocked him to the ground, just as one of the men from the camp entered.

"Th-The-Theb-Thebo-Thebos…" He was quite obviously drunk. "P-p-pick m-me one of-of them."

Ryou could feel the tension among all the captives as Thebos approached, bypassing both him and Marik. "Here," he said as he dragged one of the boys to his feet.

"Th-tha-than-thank you, Theb-Thebos."

Not long after, others from the camp came in, some requesting particular boys, some just asking for whoever was available. It was finally down to just Marik and Ryou.

"Well, I guess it's my turn," Marik muttered.

"Why?"

"Because Master Geb specifically requested _you_. And if Thebos gives you to this next thief, then it'll likely be his head. Master Geb is not to be defied."

"Oh." But as he lay there, waiting for the next man, Ryou became very restless. Slowly, he tried to sit up again.

"Get _down_!"

Ryou managed to reach an upright position. "No. I'm tired of lying down."

"Ryou, you mustn't do this! They don't like…" Marik fell silent as a new voice approached the tent.

"…I may. I don't honestly see _why_ you still do this. It has really lost its magic, I'm afraid."

"So have women, friend," Geb replied. "And I don't believe that animals will ever have any magic."

"That's true. I think I'll just go to sleep. I am really not in the mood for this tonight."

"I _insist_, friend. At least take a look. You may see one that interests you."

"I find that highly improbable. But if you _insist_, I suppose I can take a look."

Ryou dodged Marik's futile attempt to bring him down just as the tent flap opened.

The new thief snickered at the scene in front of him: two young boys—both tightly bound at both their hands and their feet—one trying to bring the other to the ground as the other ducked each throw of hand and foot. "How amusing. Oh, don't stop on my account. I could watch this all night and never get bored." He took a step closer. "I may have to take back what I said. You two boys are quite spirited. Hard to find that in combination with physical desirability." The thief crouched down in front of Ryou and put a hand under the boy's chin. "You're a peculiar one. What is your name?"

"I…I…"

"What about this other boy, Thief King?" suggested Thebos hurriedly. "He's been trained. We just found this one snooping outside the camp."

"Did we?" asked the thief, never taking his eyes off Ryou.

"Yes, yes! Master Geb has put this one through a few nights. He'll be obedient for you. _He_," Thebos spat with a motion to Ryou, "will be a troublesome one to break."

"Will he?" The thief ran a hand over Ryou's face. He smirked as the boy gazed at him, wide-eyed. "This one won't give me any trouble, I'm sure. Thank you for the suggestion, Thebos, but I believe that I will take my chances." To the dismay of Marik and Thebos, Bakura pressed his lips to Ryou's, watching with interest as the boy's eyes closed. "This one is _mine_." He picked the boy up, holding him in his arms like a small child.

Thebos pulled a short blade from his belt and stepped in front of the flap.

"That won't be necessary. I'll cut the ropes in a moment myself."

"This isn't for the ropes. _Put him down_."

"Wha…oh, I see. This one has been reserved, hasn't he? You should have just told me. It would have saved both of us a lot of trouble." The thief dropped Ryou's feet to the ground and pulled his own knife from its place and held it up to Thebos's neck. "This. One. Is. _Mine_."

"But…but…Master Geb…"

"If you value your life, you shall allow _me_ to deal with Geb. Now move away from the exit before I start to get impatient." He slid the knife back into his belt and pulled Ryou out of the tent by the waist.

Geb's face was strained as he saw who the thief had chosen. "Friend Bakura, surely you don't want to risk—"

"Don't waste your energy, friend _Geb_. Your little manservant Thebos has already explained to me that _you_ desire this boy. You shall have him. Just not as long as _I_ am here. Oh, don't look like that," he laughed as the man's expression darkened. "I do not intend on being any more than a night or two."

"I would have no problem with this if you were anyone else, Bakura. But seeing as you are who you are, I don't trust you to leave him _here_."

Bakura gave a dark chuckle. "Smart man. Let us discuss this in the morning. I'm starting to get impatient."

Geb drew a sword from its sling on his back. "I'm starting to get impatient myself. Let's discuss this _now_."

"Can this not wait? Let's make a deal: you can have the boy tomorrow, regardless of whether I am here or not."

"_I found him._"

"I'm stronger than you are. You know you don't want to fight me, Geb. Put that away. I'm sure that the sandy-haired one will not disappoint you. He is quite attractive himself."

Geb's sword arm lowered. "Marik is still in there?"

"If that is the boy's name, then yes. Now if that changes things, do tell me. I don't like to be kept waiting, and I have been waiting far too long."

"It does change things…if it's Marik. But I expect you to make good on your deal tomorrow." He disappeared into the tent.

"The one in there _is_ Marik, I hope?" Bakura asked. He smirked at Ryou's nod. "Good. Now, what is _your_ name?"

"R-R-Ryou."

"Ryou? Peculiar." He felt the boy tense. "You need not fear me. I do not intend on hurting you. You interest me, that's all. Those cannot be comfortable…" He quickly cut through the ropes that bound Ryou's hands and feet. "There. Better?" His smirk widened. "Come. I had best not taunt Geb. He is not used to being shown up." With an arm tightly wrapped around the boy's waist, he started off toward the far side of camp, where he had pitched his own tent.

As Bakura pulled him into the light of the dying fire, Ryou caught the flickering light in the thief's eyes and gasped.

"What is…ah." He chuckled. "My eyes? I thought as much."

Ryou stared, captivated, into the burning red orbs, watched them sweep over him, watched as a new spark leapt to them.

"It's no wonder Geb was guarding you so jealously. If that tent had been lit, there may have been little he could have done to prevent bloodshed."

Bakura's lips on his sent a jolt of electricity down Ryou's spine. A new shock went through him with each shift the thief made.

He wrapped an arm around the boy's waist, drawing him in until there was no room between them. He ran a hand through the boy's long white hair, and left it at the back of his head. Bakura was not about to allow the boy to break away, even if he would have wanted to.

Ryou could sense the dark desire of the thief. The firelight had changed his mind, altered his intentions. Ryou could feel the sudden craving, the sudden _need_, that Bakura had for him. He did not resist it. He allowed himself to be controlled, moving however the thief swayed him.

Bakura broke the kiss and smirked. "Troublesome indeed."

Just as he leaned in for a second go, a terrified shriek rang through the camp and one of the boys darted out of a nearby tent, closely followed by the drunken thief. The noise brought one head after another out of their tents, curious to see what was going on.

"Let's get away from the light," Bakura murmured in Ryou's ear before taking him by the hand and leading him toward his own tent at the edge of camp.

"Oy, wot's this, Bakura? Decide to take one after all?"

Bakura pulled Ryou around behind him. "Yes, Hazar. Now if you will excuse me, I shall—"

"Let's see 'im!"

"I believe that I have already had a discussion with you about how I like my privacy."

"It ain't goin' ta be private in the mornin'."

"That's what I am afraid of," Bakura muttered.

"May as well show 'im off now. Can't be anythin' too bad. Geb don't like any but the finest bein' kept 'ere." Before Bakura could push the boy into his tent and out of danger, Hazar reached out and grabbed his other hand, pulling him into the open where all of the men who were still looking out of their tents could see. "Oy, why didn' I see this one?!" he cried angrily. "No way I could 'ave missed 'im! What's you an' Geb tryin' ta pull on the resta us, uh?"

Several cries of agreement met Bakura. "I had no part in it! Your Geb had him reserved for himself. He has been having Thebos hide or dissuade you from the most attractive. Do not accuse me of this!"

"Well 'e let _you_ 'ave that one, didn' 'e?"

"Because I threatened him, Hazar. I am used to getting what I want, and he knows it." Bakura drew his knife from his belt. "You will all stay away unless you desire a more untimely death than you are already heading for. I could kill all of you blindfolded with one arm tied behind my back. Seeing as I am not currently blindfolded, I would have no trouble whatsoever killing all of you if you make one more move toward me."

"An' what if I make a move t'wards the boy?"

Bakura placed the tip of his knife above the man's heart. "Hazar, we have a fragile friendship as it is. Don't push your luck."

"I'll push my luck as far as I—" He paused as the blade pierced his skin. "Now you wouldn' really do that, would you?"

"Try me, Hazar. One more word, one more forward motion, and you'll be dead. Now let go of the boy's hand." Bakura pulled Ryou to his side and slowly backed away, his knife still raised to any who might dare defy him. Only when he and Ryou were safely inside his tent did he lower it. "We're leaving."

"_We_?"

"Yes, _we_. I can't bear to leave you to these men. They've lost respect for their own kind. As soon as they've all returned to their tents, we'll pack this one up and go. Where are you from?"

"Why?"

"I'm taking you home. Where are you from? Memphis? Cairo? Elephantine?"

"I'm not from Egypt."

"All right, that's fine. Rome? Athens?"

"I'm not from Greece or Rome either."

"Then where are you from?" Bakura demanded, getting slightly irritated.

"Japan."

"Where is that?"

Ryou looked down. "The other side of China."

"China?"

"It's a long way to the east, all right? It would take months, and then a ship to get across the sea. And then five thousand years to get to the right time period."

"I…I'm confused."

"I can't get home! Home doesn't exist yet!"

Bakura finally wrapped his mind around what Ryou was saying. "So you've come from a time after mine? All right, you can stay with me. Or I'll find someone who will take care of you. You can choose."

"He'll stay with _me_." Geb stepped into Bakura's tent. "It's touching how you are trying to free this boy, _friend_, but if _you_ value _your_ life, then you will release him to me."

"No. The boy deserves to be respected. Just like every other boy you've kidnapped. If they had the choice, I'm sure they would _all_ choose to come with me."

"Only the fools. At least these boys know where their next meal is coming from. They know that they won't die of dehydration. They know that they'll be protected from the wilderness. Many of them didn't have any of those before I took them. You don't have any of them, either. How about this: if the boy chooses to go with you—which means that he has no way of knowing if he will survive the day…or the night—then he can go with you. But I do hope you realize that security is central to survival. Come back over here to me."

Ryou shook his head and stepped behind Bakura, who laughed and said, "You see? He values his dignity."

"As if you had no intentions of treating him just as I would have."

"I had no such intentions. He interests me. He has spirit. I was just getting him away from _you_."

"Boy, do you really believe that?" Geb asked to Ryou.

"No," he replied. "But I do believe that he has _every_ intention of respecting me, and not of using me as a toy."

Bakura smirked. "Perceptive. Now you said we could leave. Get out so I can pack up my tent."

"Friend Bakura, have you learned nothing about me? I don't lose. If I return without the boy, my men have orders to set the wood around your tent on fire. Would you like to see?" Geb opened the flap to reveal an ankle-high wall of timber. "Goes all the way around. We really don't want to have to waste our firewood, but if we must, we must."

"Friend _Geb_, have _you_ learned nothing about _me_? I'm not afraid. Fire has never scared me."

"Perhaps not you. But would the boy be brave enough to step through live flames?"

"I believe that he is much braver than either of us thinks."

"We'll see." With that, Geb left the tent.

Ryou jumped as a fire roared up around them. "What do we…what do we…what do we do?"

"As Geb said, we walk _through_ the fire. It doesn't hurt. Your clothes rarely even catch flame. I promise."

"I'm afraid."

Bakura held out his hand and closed it around Ryou's. "Trust me." His grip only tightened when the boy tried to pull away. "It's getting uncomfortably warm in here. Let's go." He managed to get Ryou outside of the tent, but there, the boy dug his heels into the sand and refused to budge. "I told you that there's nothing to walking through fire. You just have to _believe_ me. I've done it a thousand times more than I can count. Now come."

"No!"

Bakura let out a sigh. "I didn't want to have to do this, but if you refuse to go through on your own, I'll be forced to carry you."

Ryou blinked up at him. "You would?"

"If I must. But don't make me. Prove to Geb that you _are_ brave."

"I wi…I can't."

Just as Bakura bent down to swing the boy into his arms, a figure burst through the wall of fire. "Hurry! They're about to throw in more wood!"

"Marik?" Ryou asked incredulously.

"Yes, yes! Hurry!"

"Marik, are they on all sides?" demanded Bakura.

"No, just the one I came in from. They've left a straight path to your horse! You can get out of here!"

"So can you." Ryou took Marik's hand. "Thank you."

"No time for tears and hugs," Bakura growled. "Let's go."

Together, the three stepped through the flames and escaped on Bakura's horse.

"I liked that tent…"

* * *

I just _have_ to say this:

_FAVORITE. CHAPTER._

I hope you like it just as well I do.


	7. In Another Few Hours, The Sun Will Rise

**Chapter Seven  
**_**In Another Few Hours, The Sun Will Rise**_

Ryou stirred. Slowly, he lifted his head to see Bakura gazing intently at him from across the table. "Where am I?"

Bakura chuckled. "You fell asleep at the table over your cup of chamomile. You were muttering again."

"What this time?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Same. I suppose that you're no more willing to share it now than you were earlier?"

Ryou shook his head. "Ow… How long was I asleep?"

"Thirty minutes, at the most. You could probably stand a few more hours. You have school tomorrow, after all, don't you? You'll need to be prepared for all your fangirls."

"My _what_?"

Bakura stood and pulled Ryou to his feet. "You need to sleep." He wrapped his arm around the boy's waist again. "Let's go."

:::

Despite what he had said earlier that day, Bakura sat in the chair in the corner of Ryou's room, watching the boy sleep, listening as he muttered the same five words over and over again.

"Brilliant…blood…beautiful…Bakura…rubies…"

Bakura heaved an irritable sigh. _Why_ did Ryou believe that dreams were meant to be kept secret? And of all the dreams, why _this one_? It was obviously recurring, or he wouldn't still be muttering on about rubies. And recurring dreams had always proved to hold great significance. "For the love of Ra, Ryou, why won't you just tell me?"

The voice behind Bakura gave him a start. "Tell you what?"

"Surely one uninvited entry per day is enough, Marik?" asked Bakura as he watched a figure emerge from the shadows in the open door.

"It's past midnight."

"I don't consider it to be tomorrow until the sun rises."

"In another few hours, the sun will rise."

Bakura jumped from his seat and raised a fist. "What the hell does that mean?"

Marik simply grinned and took a step back.

"What are you doing back here?" demanded Bakura angrily.

The Egyptian shrugged. "I don't really know. Something wanted to, so I listened to it."

"Your intuition tends to be wrong _very_ often. Get out of this house _now_."

"And what if I refuse? Are you going to send me to the Shadow Realm?"

Bakura's eyes flashed. "Oh, I won't need to. You're hardly a worthy opponent for me."

"So you might think."

"Without the Rod, you're _nothing_."

"Do you want to make a _bet_ on that?"

A dark laugh escaped his throat. "Why not? Let's make the wagers a surprise. Write it down on this," he said as he ripped a sheet of paper in two and tossed Marik a pen. Bakura picked up another pen and tapped it on the desk as he thought of a suitable punishment for daring to believe he could be defeated. _Get out of this house. And don't come back._ That was satisfactory. "All right, Marik, have you made your bet?"

"Yes, Bakura. Let's not disturb your little _boyfriend_. I suppose he gave you a room of your own?"

Bakura held his tongue. In a few moments he would be able to give Marik the punches he deserved. "In here." He led Marik into his temporary bedroom. "So you think you're stronger than I am? No Millennium items." He pulled his Ring off and tossed it onto the bed, making for certain that Marik did the same. "Whoever gets knocked to the ground is the loser. Why don't _you_ start the count, just so you have a fairer chance?"

"On three…three." Marik dove out of the way as Bakura immediately threw a punch in his direction. "You had no intention of making this fair, did you?"

"Neither did you. We're even." He swung again. And missed again. _Damn, that kid moves fast._ Bakura continued to try to land a punch, but Marik kept dodging him at the last second. _What the hell? Is he trying to wear me out? If he is, he's failing miserably._ The next few swings, Bakura watched Marik carefully, trying to find a pattern. _Down and left._

Marik was wearing a _come-and-get-me_ smirk. He ducked under Bakura's hand time after time. It was apparent that the whole thing was starting to become nothing more than a game. He allowed Bakura to get closer and closer before dodging the punch. Bakura was starting to lose momentum. Soon there would be nothing for Marik to do but breathe out to knock him down. Marik stood for a long time as a _really_ pathetic swing came his way. He dodged it when Bakura's fist was only a hair from his face. Out of nowhere, Bakura's _other_ fist slammed right into his chest, sending him sprawling backward, and ultimately to the floor. He moaned in pain and clutched his ribs.

"Try putting a little more _variety_ into your dodges next time. Any decent fighter will look for a pattern, and be sure not to create one himself." Bakura pulled his slip of paper out of his pocket and threw it to Marik. He looked down as he slipped his Ring back over his head. "You're getting off easily. I don't expect to be seeing you anytime soon."

"Wha—?" Marik opened up the paper and read it. "Oh." He picked up his Rod and started out the door.

"Out of curiosity, what was _your_ bet?" Bakura jumped in front of Marik when he quickened his pace. "What's the rush?"

"You wanted me out of here."

"I'll give you a few more minutes. What was your bet?" Marik's terrified expression was a source of great amusement for Bakura. Without leaving an easy way to the door, Bakura advanced on him. "If you won't tell me, I'll just read it." His hand whipped out and pulled the slip of paper from Marik's pocket before he could jump back. "So what was it?" By now, Marik's face had gone pale, and Bakura couldn't help making a show out of opening the paper, just to cause him even more stress. " 'You want me to leave? Then come with me, just tonight. Then I'll leave you alone.' " After staring for a moment in disbelief, Bakura burst out laughing.

Marik's face reddened and he looked down. "It's been a few more minutes. I'll get out now." He tried to sidestep Bakura, but even in his fit of hysterics, Bakura had no trouble blocking his path. Bakura advanced on him again, forcing him to back up, all the way to the curtained window. His expression of terror resurfaced.

Bakura stared at him with interest. "All right. I don't have anything to do. I'm not tired. Where were you planning to go?"

"I knew I wasn't going to win. I didn't think about it…"

"Pretend you _did_ expect to win, and you decided long ago. Where?" Bakura could easily see that he was making Marik nervous by standing so close. But, as he'd said, he had nothing to do, so he figured he would enjoy Marik's discomfort while he tried to think. It reminded him of a time five thousand years ago, when he'd similarly trapped a boy around the same age in a room. He tried to recall more, but the memory blanked there. Bakura returned his complete focus to Marik. "Well?"

Marik stood there, petrified, looking as though he fully expected Bakura to pull out a knife and slit his throat.

"Where are you staying while you're in Japan?"

"M-my boat. I've reserved a place for it at the docks."

"Then let's walk down there. Surely you'll be able to think more clearly outside." He took a step back. "Just give me a moment to leave Ryou a note. He's too easily frightened." Bakura went into the boy's room and opened his school notebook.

_I've gone out. Willingly. I'll probably be back before you get home from school, but if I'm not, I'll be back by dusk. –Bakura_

He set the notebook back down and turned to leave.

"Rubies…"

Before his mind could turn him around, Bakura walked over to the boy's bedside and gazed down at him. Here, illuminated only by the light streaming in from the hall, Ryou's face had an almost angelic quality. Bakura reached out, casting a shadow over half Ryou's face. "_Change of Heart_," he murmured. He whipped around at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Are you done telling your boyfriend goodbye?"

"I could just as easily stay here, you know. He's not my boyfriend."

"You certainly seem to have taken a liking to him."

Bakura growled. "You're lucky that I'm bored. Let's go before I change my mind." He led the way to the door and stepped out into the cool night air. It was a nice change from the stuffy house. "Lead the way, Marik." They walked in silence, Marik nervously glancing up at Bakura every few seconds. "You look scared," Bakura said after a long time, smirking when Marik jumped at the unexpected comment. "You know, I'm curious: _why_ did you make a bet you _knew_ you had no chance of winning?"

"Why did you take it up?"

"You were starting to get on my nerves."

"Oh…"

"Why did you make the bet?" Bakura repeated.

Marik looked down. "I was insulted."

"That was the point," Bakura replied with a laugh. "But I must take back some of the insult. You _could_ hold your own in a fight against the average person. But anyone with adequate training or experience would be able to knock you down as easily as I did. Like I said, you're too predictable."

Marik's head remained down, and he slipped his hands into his pockets.

"You look scared," Bakura said again. "What, do you expect me to mug you?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," he mumbled.

Bakura couldn't keep from laughing again. "Trust me, if _that_ was my intention, it would have been much easier to just have continued punching you."

"I guess that's true."

"You don't trust me, do you?"

"No."

"I should be offended. But, I suppose I have a bit of a reputation for my sadism, so you have grounds. Though with your Rod, you don't have much to fear." Marik's discomfort only fed Bakura's increasingly cheery mood. "Who did you bring along to help steal the Pharaoh's power this time?"

"Nobody."

"Not even Odion?"

"No."

"Why not? Oh, come on. Don't be like Ryou when we first started talking. I drove him crazy for the first couple of hours."

"Yeah, that's what Kaiba said."

"That's what…" He grinned. "Very well put. You seem to like Kaiba about as well as I do."

"The only person who _really_ likes him is his little brother. The one _everyone_ has kidnapped."

Bakura looked over at Marik, his grin widening. "Yes. Perhaps Kaiba should consider putting him on a leash. I've had the pleasure of being the kidnapper several times."

"I got him once," Marik replied, faintly returning the gesture. "This way." He grabbed Bakura's wrist and pulled him between two warehouses.

Dubiously, he followed. _I hadn't noticed we were getting so close._ He looked down at his wrist and chuckled softly. _Kind of touching, really. Maybe this excursion will prove to be enjoyable._ Bakura walked along, peering ahead, trying to find where Marik had docked. As far as he could tell, there were no boats at port. "Where's your boat?"

"Inside this docking house," he replied as he came to a stop in front of a waterfront warehouse. "Would you care to go on the roof?"

"Why?" Bakura asked, puzzled. "And surely that's highly frowned upon?"

"Since when do you care? Besides, there's a spot that's impossible to see from both the ground and the air. I've been up there plenty of times before, and haven't been caught yet."

After a moment of pause, Bakura shrugged. "All right, why not? How do we get up there?"

Marik pulled him around to the side of the building, where there was a tall stack of crates that went about three-quarters of the way up. "Come on." He got to the top of the first crate and offered Bakura his hand.

He smirked before climbing up unaided with the ease of a cat. They reached the final crate with no incident. Only then did the obvious strike Bakura. "Now what? We aren't close enough to reach the roof."

Marik reached out and pulled a hook out of the darkness. "Are you very brave?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Bakura asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's what I thought. We're climbing the crane the rest of the way."

"Where the hell is the crane?"

"We have to swing to it. The hook is the only way to get there. Would you like for me to go first? If you don't make the crane in the first swing or two, then you'll end up stuck between the crates and the crane. _That_ is scary. I know exactly where the crane is. I'll catch the rope when you come. Unless, of course, _you'd_ like to go first."

"Tempting. I always like a challenge. But I think I'll pass for tonight. I'll follow you."

Bakura watched carefully as Marik got a tight hold on the hook before moving back to the edge of the crate, then running and jumping off. There was the faint sound of two things colliding, and when the hook did not come back in a few seconds, he decided Marik must have made it all right.

"It's coming back to you, now!"

Bakura caught the hook as it came back and copied Marik's motions. He made it easily, but Marik caught the rope anyway.

"Just in case."

"Hmph," Bakura scoffed.

Even in the dark, the flash in Marik's eyes was very clear. "You don't think you'll have any problems? Then perhaps _you_ should be the first to climb the crane."

"That's backward. By being the _last_ to climb it, I would have the responsibility of catching _you_ if you slipped. Go ahead." Silently, they scaled the crane. At the top, they leaped onto the roof. "All right. Where's this invisible spot?"

Marik once again took Bakura's wrist and pulled him along. Sure enough, right in the center of the roof was a place where a low-ceilinged, three-walled shelter had been built. Marik released him and sat against the wall on the stack of blankets.

"How the hell did these get here?"

"I brought them up. You don't have to stand if you don't want to, you know."

Bakura had to admit that the climb had been taxing. He sat on the blankets beside Marik. "Have you been _sleeping_ up here?"

He nodded. "Mostly. It's a nice place."

"It is," Bakura agreed. "It feels like home."

"What?"

"Remember, I'm a five-thousand-year-old thief. I mostly slept outside."

"Oh. Of course."

Bakura chuckled as a thought rose in his mind. "You really _were_ jealous, weren't you?"

"What?"

"When you broke into Ryou's house the second time. You commented on how 'close' we were, and I made the joke about you being jealous. You really were, weren't you?"

Marik nodded. "What spurred you to make the joke?" They kept talking until the ocean began to sparkle in reds. "Hey, look," Marik said, pointing to the sliver of an orange circle appearing over the horizon. "I was right about the sun."

* * *

I'll be disappointed if nobody started cracking up the moment they saw the title. I hope you enjoyed the _Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series_ jokes!


	8. Fangirls

**Chapter Eight  
**_**Fangirls**_

Ryou bolted straight up in his bed, panting. "Don't!... Oh." He took a few deep breaths and laughed. "Just a dream." His eyes caught something out of place on his desk. "My notebook…I could have sworn I put it away." He slid out of bed and walked over to where the notebook was lying, opened to a page near the middle.

_I've gone out. Willingly. I'll probably be back before you get home from school, but if I'm not, I'll be back by dusk. –Bakura_

"I guess the tea didn't help." Ryou went through his morning routine as usual. Before slipping his notebook into his bookbag, he tore out the note Bakura had left him and stuck it in his pocket. "I'll hold you to it." After making a final check of all the locks, Ryou started down the sidewalk toward school. It struck him that he was—for the first time in a long time—completely alone; Bakura was no longer a part of him. The joy he had expected to come from this revelation was not as great as he had imagined. If he was honest with himself, he missed knowing that if something were to go wrong, there was a much more aggressive person waiting to emerge from within him. The solitude made him feel vulnerable._ My stable aura is so strong that most people can sense it _without_ the power of a Millennium item. If they didn't sense my aura, they would be all over you._ Ryou couldn't banish Bakura's words from his mind. At the time, the comment had meant the girls at school, but now Ryou saw that it also applied to people who wanted to _hurt_ him. "The girls..." _"You'll need to be prepared for all your fangirls."_ Before, he'd complained about people fearing him, but now, he was the one who was to be afraid. Ryou didn't know if he could handle a group of teenage girls huddling around him. But then again, that was just Bakura's theory. What were the odds of it?

"Hey, Bakura!"

He jumped and looked over his shoulder. _Just them._ "Hello, Yugi! Hello, Tea!" Ryou allowed them to catch up to him. "Do you mind if I walk with you this morning?"

"Not at all," Yugi replied.

"That'd be awesome!" Tea agreed.

"Thanks." Ryou walked on the other side of Yugi and listened to his and Tea's conversation.

"What do you think, Bakura?" asked Yugi.

"Huh?"

He tilted his head. "Do you think our school day is too long?"

"Wha…well, no, not really. We have more time to get help on homework if we need it, and to be honest, I like my classes."

"Oh. Well, that's always a good thing. I guess I'm just too easily distracted. And I've never really liked math."

Ryou shrugged. "It's not my favorite subject, but I'm good at it."

"Maybe you could—"

"_YAAAH!_" Joey jumped out from an alley, right in front of the group. He laughed at their expressions of surprise. "Hey, Yugi…Tea…Bakura?"

"Yeah, he got to the game shop just as we were leaving, so he's walking with us," Yugi explained. "What were you doing in the alley?"

"Waitin' on you guys. C'mon out, Tris. You missed it."

"Aw, come on! Hey, guys," Tristan said with a wave.

"Hi, Tristan."

Ryou hung at the back of the group, staying quiet when they continued to complain about school. He glanced around nervously as they entered the campus, expecting to be attacked by a mob of girls at any second. He relaxed when nothing happened and said good-bye before entering the building and heading for his first class. As usual, Ryou got into the room and sat in his seat long before most of the other students had even considered going inside. They finally started pouring in a couple of minutes before the bell was supposed to ring. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and by the time homeroom came, Ryou was certain that Bakura had been wrong about how people would react once he was free of the sinister aura that had lurked within him for so long. Therein lay his first mistake.

Everyone arrived in homeroom surprisingly early, several even before Ryou. He vaguely wondered why they were all loosely gathered around a particular table. Then he realized which table they were gathered around. _Uh-oh. Maybe Bakura was right after all._ He approached the table and said apprehensively, "Um, excuse me. I sit here." He soon regretted not choosing another table for the day.

All the girls turned very slowly to look at him. Then, all at once, they practically jumped him, pushing him all the way back to the wall, calling out over each other, trying to get their voices heard.

"My name is Akira! I'm in your—"

"You should know me from math! The name is—"

"I'm Sakura! Do you recognize me from—"

"My friends and I are going to the park today! Would you like to join us? It'll be fun! We're leaving straight from—"

_This is insane! I don't want to go, but what could I…_ "I've actually already made plans with my friends!" he cried over the girls before desperately looking over to where Yugi, Tea, Joey, and Tristan were sitting and mouthing, "Help me!" His expression of terror intensified as the group pressed closer around him, trying to dissuade him from going with his friends.

"Hey, look! Duke's ditching school!"

The girls disappeared out the door like a bunch of lemmings.

"Thank you, Tristan," Ryou gasped.

He stared out the door. "I didn't think they'd actually believe me."

Yugi ran up to Ryou, who was still leaning against the wall. "Are you all right?"

"Shaken up a bit, but I'll be fine."

"That was really weird," Tea commented. "I haven't seen them act that way since Duke's first day here."

"Looks like I really _do_ have fangirls," Ryou muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Do you have any plans for this afternoon? I'd really rather not get caught in a lie."

"Well, _I_ can't do anything," said Tea. She continued in a whisper. "I have to work."

"You have to—"

"Shh! I know it's against the rules, but I'm saving the money I earn. _Please_ don't tell anybody!"

Ryou stared at her in surprise. "I wouldn't dream of it. I'm just a bit shocked." He looked over at the other three. "What about you?"

Tristan grinned. "We're going to Yugi's to hook _this_," he pulled an X-Box out of his bag, "into his TV."

"You're welcome to join us," Yugi said. "Grandpa won't mind."

"Thank you. By the way, how is he?"

"He's well enough to take care of the shop for the afternoon. Thanks for asking."

Angry voices accompanied by approaching footsteps could be heard in the hall. "Who said he was ditching school? Let's get him!"

"Oh, no," Ryou groaned. "They'll follow me to your house. Hey, what are you doing?!"

With their combined efforts, Yugi, Tea, Joey, and Tristan managed to stuff Ryou's jacket in his bookbag, get his hair tied back, and surround him before the girls walked in, just as the bell rang. They walked out at a brisk pace, not stopping until they were several blocks away from the school, where they reversed the quick change.

"Bye guys!" Tea called as she hurried off.

"Where does she work?"

"Burger World," Yugi replied.

"She's a waitress? I can hardly see that."

Joey grinned. "Yeah, Yuge and I were surprised too."

"Hey, there he is!"

The boys whipped around to see one of the 'fangirls' pointing at them. They turned and ran as more appeared around the corner. They managed to run down enough wrong alleys that the girls would have trouble figuring out where they'd gone. Still, they ran all the way to the game shop.

"We're not here!" Yugi yelled to his Grandpa as they hurried into the living room, locking the door behind them and closing all the curtains.

"Man, Bakura," Joey panted, "since when were you so popular? No offense," he added quickly.

"None taken. To be honest, I'm just as confused as you are." _I hope I don't get caught in _that_ lie._

"Let's forget about it for now. Hey, Bakura," Tristan asked, "how do you like zombies?"

"I have a deck full of them."

"Good. I've got _Resident Evil 5_. Never been opened. Let's get this hooked up!" Just as he was about to turn it on, the shop door could be heard bursting open.

"They must have come here! Where's Yugi and his three friends?" came the voice of one of the girls.

The boys stayed completely silent, crossing their fingers and praying that Grandpa had gotten Yugi's message.

"Haven't seen him since this morning. Why?" he asked suspiciously.

There was a huff followed by, "Let's look in the arcade," and a slamming of the door.

After several minutes, there was a knock. "Yugi? What was that all about?"

"They're chasing me!" Ryou replied. "It seems I've become popular overnight."

"Bakura? That's strange. Well, you boys have fun. And keep the volume of that game down."

Ryou remained at Yugi's house, occasionally taking a turn playing as Sheva, until six o'clock. "I'd really better get home. My father doesn't like me staying out too late."

"I thought he was almost never home," Joey commented, never taking his eyes off the screen.

"Well, it's sort of a rule. If I want to stay here and take care of myself, I can't stay out any later than seven. I don't want to have to hurry to make curfew. Good night, everyone!"

"Bye, Bakura!"

Ryou looked up at the sky as he started down the sidewalk toward his house. _I'd rather not make Bakura anxious by getting home after him. Oh, who am _I_ kidding? What does he care if I get home late?_ He once again started to feel very lonely. Without Bakura's constant presence, he had nothing to rely on in the increasing darkness. It wouldn't be much of a problem for someone to mug him. Or worse. The notion had him jumping at every shadow and stray animal he encountered. The locked front door was a huge relief. Ryou unclipped his key from his belt loop and let himself into the dark house. "Has anyone come home, yet? Father?... Bakura?" When he received no answer, he locked the door behind him and flipped on all the lights. "Bakura will probably come back in a half hour or so." Having eaten at Yugi's, Ryou skipped supper and went straight up to his room to work on homework. The time passed. Thirty minutes went by, and Bakura didn't come. Forty-five…an hour… Ryou began to worry. "Surely he wouldn't be _this_ late." He looked out the window, wondering if Bakura was waiting for the door to be opened to him, but found nothing. Thinking that maybe he had gone to the other door, Ryou hurried downstairs and checked the back entrance. Nobody. He dropped onto the couch and stared at the clock. Two hours…two and a half…a quarter 'til…

_DING-DONG._

Ryou jumped up and quickly glanced out the window before throwing the door open. "It's almost ten!"

"Sorry."

"You said you'd be back by dusk! Where have you _been_?"

"Well…"

* * *

I know, short short short. I promise the next chapter will make up for it. Aren't you curious to know what Bakura was doing until ten! Coming soon! Please review!


	9. Ryou's Going To Kill Me

**Chapter Nine**

_**Ryou's Going To Kill Me**_

Marik fell asleep not long after sunrise.

Bakura was left to do as he pleased for at least a few hours. He stood and walked out onto the open roof, looking at the city below and above him. It was really rather fun to be standing so high above the ground. It reminded him of the pyramids. Though _that_ had been _much_ more fun. By this time, the limestone bricks had been stripped away, leaving only the sandstone as stairsteps. But long ago, when they'd first been built, the pyramids' sides were perfectly smooth, save the very first few. It had been quite a challenge climbing the newer pyramids, and was often a game among the thieves. Bakura chuckled, thinking of all the times he'd joined with a band for a short time for protection. There had been some monkeys in those groups, scaling the walls like trees. He had been good at climbing them, but had a more deliberate cat-like approach. Most of the monkeys had ended up slipping and sliding down; Bakura had never once lost his grip. His favorite pyramid had been that of King Khufu, the very first. Though it wasn't quite as hard to climb, he had been able to sit on that one. Several times he had even set up camp on one of the more sheltered bricks.

The air was heating up fast as the sun climbed in the sky. It took Bakura back to his many escapes that had lasted from night to morning, continuing until either he or the guards couldn't go on. Mostly the guards. They'd caught him a few times, but he'd had no troubles sneaking out as they slept. He closed his eyes and imagined himself back in that sandy haven, with its warm, dry winds and the river of life that ran directly through it. The Nile had been fun, too. Bakura had stowed away on many of the boats as an escape; he'd escaped many boats in the crocodile- and hippopotamus-infested waters. The danger had always given him a thrill; each time he survived the suicidal swim gave him more and more confidence that his luck would never run out. He sometimes did it just for fun, to taunt the mighty beasts of the Nile. He was sure that he'd sometimes encountered some that remembered him, and were that much more determined to kill him. But they'd always failed. He had out-swum the fastest creatures of the river, and laughed in their faces as he ran into the desert, his soaked clothing collecting sand as he went. He opened his eyes and sighed. "There's no place like home."

As his eyes swept over the calm sea, his mind made an unexpected connection. The smooth, yellow-green waters looked like tea. Much more recent memories began surfacing: Ryou's attempts to glare at him when he was still inside the Ring, his expression the first time he'd seen Bakura's eyes, his angelic half-lit face as he lay dreaming. The boy had the power to enthrall, and didn't even know it. He unconsciously exploited his magic as he innocently asked questions over cups of tea, charming the answers he wanted from whomever he chose. Ryou was incredibly powerful. If only he knew… He could be much more assertive and no one would notice the difference, simply because of the way he could manifest the aggression. Bakura chuckled. As unsure of himself as the boy was, as fearful as he could be at times, Ryou really had very little to worry about. His charisma could easily avert any danger he might find himself facing…or any punishment. Not that he would ever do anything to _deserve_ punishment. His innocence was staggering. He would trust anyone, if he had time to get to know them. He didn't worry about the _obvious_ things. He had a five-thousand-year-old thief living in the room next to his, and he slept through the night as easily as a child, never wondering what might happen to him as he dreamed. Ryou was a gem. "A ruby," Bakura whispered with a slight grin.

He could hear the city below him coming to life as people left their homes for work, as kids left for school. He knew that, somewhere, Ryou would be checking all the doors to make sure they were locked before starting down the sidewalk toward school right about now. The boy's quirk was amusing. He couldn't be inside—or outside, for that matter—the house without knowing that the doors were locked. Whenever he would go out, even just to the road, he would lock the door behind him. There was a key in his pocket everywhere he went, attached by a keychain to his belt loop so he wouldn't lose it. And nobody knew, not even his father. It was a wonder he'd never noticed it, but then again, he was very rarely home. He had little time to pick up on something so seemingly miniscule. But as he thought about it, Bakura began to see that it was an obsession, and felt sorry for the boy. Ryou was paranoid, terrified that someone would break into the house, even though he had no grounds for it. He lived in a particularly secure neighborhood, with no history of _any_ crimes. _Poor kid_, thought Bakura as he gazed out over the few streets that were visible over the warehouses.

Bakura decided he didn't feel like standing in the hot sun all day, so he returned to the shady rooftop room. He sat against the wall opposite Marik. Unless the boy _really_ needed his beauty sleep, he'd be waking up at any time now. Marik… Unlike Ryou, who was the same person no matter where he was or who he was with, Marik had many faces. He could be an evil mastermind, a scared boy, or anything in between. Marik could be a chameleon without ever changing his skin. Bakura watched him curiously. Marik hadn't moved for several hours; Ryou had a habit of tossing and turning as he slept. It made Bakura wonder if Marik dreamed at all.

Slowly, Marik began to stir. He yawned and opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Marik."

"Wha—? Did I fall asleep?" He looked down as Bakura raised his eyebrows. "Bad question. How _long_ was I asleep?"

"A few hours. I'd say it's about eight by now."

"How would you know?"

Bakura felt like a joke. "I used the sun. I'm a five-thousand-year-old thief. I didn't exactly have access to water clocks or hourglasses. I had to learn to tell time _somehow_."

"What need would you have had for telling time? All you needed to know was morning, afternoon, evening, and night, which even a blind man can tell."

"Damn it. You're no fun."

"That wasn't even plausible. Really, even the _pharaoh_ didn't need his water clock."

"Yes, I suppose not. Egyptian royalty invented 'fashionably late'."

"They what?"

Bakura sighed. "You're really not much fun to joke with. Either you over-think it or you just don't get it. The only good jokes you've made have been insulting Kaiba. Not that I can blame you. He's an easy one to poke fun at." He stood. "I'm hungry. But I'm pretty sure Ryou locked me out. I probably shouldn't feed his fear of someone breaking and entering by letting myself in. Damn it."

"You know his house isn't the only place to get food, don't you?"

"It's the only place to get _free_ food."

"I have money."

"I don't."

"What's your point?"

Bakura suppressed a grin. _"You've assaulted me, tempted Yugi to attack me with his _Slifer the Sky Dragon_—"_ He looked away. "I don't like accepting favors of any sort, especially not monetary. You've already paid for one meal, and I'm still trying to figure out how to pay you back without using Ryou's money."

"Did you not hear me on Saturday? I really don't have much need for the money I brought, and the value of the yen will probably drop at least a little before I leave, so I may as well find ways to spend it."

"That's just reckless."

"It was Ishizu's suggestion! Since we're not tombkeepers anymore, we have to have money, so she loans the same exhibit that's in the Domino Museum out to the highest bidder. She makes good money from it."

"Why does she think you're here?"

"What?"

"There's no way she would have given you money had she known you were here to steal the Pharaoh's power."

"Oh, I'm here to keep an eye on the exhibit."

"And I suppose you haven't set foot in the museum yet."

"Actually, I've gone every day. I don't want to risk her knowing that I haven't. That's where I'd just come from on Saturday, and where I went yesterday afternoon…look, do you want to eat or not?"

"You're not going to give me much of a choice, are you?"

"No. Come on."

:::

Bakura crossed his arms as the waitress walked away. "I thought you said you didn't like iced tea."

"Not to drink."

"What else could you possibly want it for?"

"The ice," Marik admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Then why don't you just get water? They put ice in there, too."

"But I can't _see_ it."

Noticing Marik was reaching for the glass, Bakura threw his own straw and a packet of sugar at him. "If you're going to play in your drink, at least try to look _somewhat_ normal. Pour the sugar in and stir it with the _straw_. If _you're_ going to insist that I eat here, then _I'm_ going to insist that you refrain from making a fool of yourself."

"Fine." Reluctantly, Marik did as Bakura had requested. "It dissolves slowly."

"Because the tea is cold," Bakura told him, recalling some of Ryou's basic science classes. "That's why you have to stir the tea to make it dissolve in a somewhat timely fashion." He watched as Marik stared at his swirling tea, barely suppressing the urge to laugh at the boy's fascination. It wasn't common to meet someone who knew so little about common life, so being with Marik, who had lived most of his life underground, was quite entertaining. Though he'd spent the last two or three years trying to catch up on everything he'd missed, Marik was still very new to the modern world, and each discovery he made was mesmerizing. In his own way, he was just as childlike as Ryou.

As they left the restaurant, Marik looked up at Bakura. "You know, you should distinguish yourself from Ryou so people won't confuse the two of you."

"What?"

"I heard Ryou's request. You look exactly like him, Bakura, and wearing the same clothes doesn't help."

Bakura sighed. "As I said, I don't like accepting favors, especially not monetary."

"I never—"

"You know you were about to."

"How would you know?"

"Marik, you're extremely predictable."

"Do it for Ryou's sake, if nothing else."

He recoiled. "Wha—" Bakura growled. "_Why_ would I do something for Ryou's sake?"

"You said it yourself: you're indebted to him. Think of it as paying _him_ back."

"Marik, that's really a clever excuse, but I refuse." Bakura watched a Marik reached behind himself; he knew that the boy was laying a hand on the Millennium Rod.

"I can force you."

Bakura simply laughed. "Don't you wish. Marik, we rival each other in strength. _You_ can't overcome _me_ any more than _I_ can over come _you_."

He scowled. "I can try."

Knowing that the argument was going nowhere, Bakura relented with, "If it will get you to shut up, I'll _look_ at the clothing. I won't promise that I'll allow you to _buy_ anything, though." He smiled in spite of himself as Marik's face lit up.

"Come on!"

:::

Despite what he'd said before, Bakura _did_ end up letting Marik buy him the clothes. Marik had agreed to carry the bag: Bakura felt like a woman with it in his hand.

"Why don't you put them on now?" Marik had asked.

"Because I don't want to frighten Ryou by looking like a stranger when I ring the doorbell. I wouldn't put it past the kid to call the cops."

"Oh…he's really that paranoid?"

Bakura nodded. "Unfortunately." He looked up at the big clock in the middle of the square. "It's already seven. I promised him I'd be back by dusk. I'd better get…I left my jacket on the roof."

"What?"

"I left my jacket on the roof of the warehouse. Personally, I couldn't care less about it, but Ryou won't like it. Let's go back up there." Within thirty minutes, he was back in the shelter and slipping it on. Before he turned to leave, Bakura looked at Marik. "I…thank you. It still makes me uncomfortable to accept the money, but I do appreciate that you allowed me to use it."

"It's no problem," Marik replied, a bit bewildered by Bakura's show of gratitude.

Bakura didn't answer. He'd never noticed how attractive the boy was. Marik had told him about the effort he'd put into looking like he'd come out of a magazine and not an underground tomb. The effort had paid off: Marik was striking. Bakura's eyes flashed. It was obvious that Marik hadn't asked him out as a friend. But he couldn't just _attack_ him… "Marik, did I give you a bruise? When I punched you," he said quickly for clarification.

"I don't know. It still hurts a bit."

"Let's see it."

"_What?_"

"It's not like you're a woman. I want to know how bad I should feel about it."

"It'll be fine."

_Marik's shy? Ha! I can fix that…_ As it was obvious Marik wasn't just going to show him his ribs, Bakura advanced on him, once again backing him up against a wall. "You're awfully modest."

"B-Bakura. You're-You're scaring me."

A wicked smirk spread across his face. "Good." He kissed Marik, watching his face with interest as he pulled away: Marik's stunned expression was flecked with a secret satisfaction. "You said you were jealous."

"I could have meant—"

Bakura cut him off by placing a finger on his lips. "Not likely." Just as their lips touched a second time, the sound of a huge motor roaring to life broke the silence. "Oh, that _can't_ be good," he groaned before releasing Marik and peering out into the approaching dusk. "Ra damn it!"

"What's going…oh…"

The two watched as the crane, holding one of the crates, drove off. Then returned for another. And another. And another. By the time the crane had been parked—four buildings over and two up—more than half the crates had been moved and the sun had set.

"Fantastic. Ryou's going to be worried sick." Bakura walked over to where the remaining crates sat, not even reaching halfway up the building. He muttered several profanities in his native language. He turned to Marik. "Any ideas?"

"You could jump."

"Your mother could jump." Getting no reaction, he sighed and said, "Suicidal."

"Then why not _climb_ down?"

"How is that any—" Bakura reflected to his own thoughts that morning. _It reminded him of the pyramids…_ "That's brilliant. Except that I don't have a knife."

"Why would you need a _knife_?"

"It helps." Bakura knelt at the edge of the roof and looked down at the wall. It was perfectly smooth and perfectly straight. "It _really_ helps." He stood and looked around him. "Are you sure that's the _only_ way up here? Surely if they built a shelter, there would be a ladder?"

Marik nodded. "I checked. Several times."

"And you never considered having a safeguard, in case this happened?"

"Well, it's not exactly _safe_…"

"What is it?" demanded Bakura.

"I have a rope. I've never tested it before, though, so—"

"Sounds like fun. We can tie it to that," he said, pointing to the lightning rod.

"Are you insane? What are the odds that it will hold?"

Bakura shrugged. "I'm up for the risk. Let's tie it up." With Marik's help, he secured the rope with a satisfactory knot.

Just as Bakura was about to start down the wall, Marik grabbed his arm and kissed him. He looked down with a blush. "Please be careful."

With a slight smile, he replied, "I will. When I get down, throw my clothes to me." Bakura dropped the bag beside Marik and slid over the edge of the building. Slowly, hand over hand, he lowered himself to the ground. When his feet reached the earth, he let go of the rope and shouted up to Marik, "Throw the bag!" It landed three feet behind him. "You missed!"

"That's what Kaiba said!"

Bakura chuckled as he ran off. _Ryou's going to kill me._ _So?_, the other half of his mind returned. _SO, he's going to kill me_, Bakura replied to himself_, and then I'll be dead. REALLY? Grr…_ He jumped at the voice that greeted him as he rounded the corner by the arcade.

"There he is! Bakura, where have you been all day?"

"Wha—" _Of course_, he thought, remembering his own comments. _Ryou's fangirls._

"We're still having the party in the park. You should come!"

Bakura softened his voice, trying to sound as much like his ex-host as possible. "I'm sorry, but I really need to be getting back home. I haven't even started on my homework."

"Who _cares_ about homework?" the girl demanded as she approached him.

"Me?" he tried, desperate to make her leave him alone before he started to get irritated.

She shoved him against the wall of the arcade. "You could get it done before class started."

_This must be what Marik felt like_, Bakura thought wryly. _What would Ryou do?_ "Please, I-I don't know who you are. I need to get home. Let go of me."

"I'm Akira, remember?"

"Not really, no." _How can I break free without breaking character?_ "Look, it's Duke!"

"Nice try, but you can't use the same trick twice and expect it to work."

_Damn. That means that Ryou got cornered today. Poor kid._ "Akira, _please_. My father's going to kill me."

"At least you'll die happy." The girl pressed herself against him, ran her hands up his arms.

Bakura struggled, both against her and the urge to send her sorry, slutty mind to the Shadow Realm. _Whore._ Out of the corner of his eye, Bakura caught a glint of gold. _Marik, help me, damn it!_ he yelled mentally, communicating through the Rod.

_It's funny._

_No it isn't!_

_Why don't _you_ do something about it?_

_Because I promised Ryou!_

_Promised him what?_

_That I wouldn't! I'm indebted to him, remember? I can't break the promise._

_It's self-defense._

_HELP ME, DAMN IT!!!_

_Fine._

There was a flash, and the girl suddenly stepped back and walked away without a word.

Once she was out of sight, Bakura spoke aloud. "What the hell? That could have turned out badly!" He took a deep breath. "Thank you. What are you doing here?"

Marik held up the shopping bag. "You forgot your clothes."

"My…oh. I guess I was in too much of a hurry. Thank you." He glanced around, looking for a clock. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Why don't you use the sun?"

"The sun isn't out, imbeci…" He paused as he recalled where Marik had gotten the idea in the first place. _"I used the sun. I'm a five-thousand-year-old thief. I didn't exactly have access to water clocks and hourglasses. I had to learn to tell time _somehow_." _"That was a joke?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Like I said before, you don't make many good jokes that don't have to do with Kaiba."

"I'm learning," Marik replied with a slight grin.

"Indeed. Now really, _do_ you have any idea what time it is?"

Marik shook his head.

Bakura sighed. "Ryou's going to kill me. The sooner I get there, the quicker and more painless it'll be." He began walking toward the square.

Marik, who had insisted on going with him the rest of the way—"In case any more fangirls show up."—looked at him curiously and asked, "Isn't Ryou's house _that_ way?" with a finger pointed in the opposite direction.

"No, I'm fairly sure it's _this_ way."

"_Fairly_?"

"Ryou's the one who's always done all the walking to and from his house."

"And you never paid attention?"

"Nope."

"You've got Kaiba's foresight."

"This really isn't the time for jokes."

"That was a legitimate comparison. I don't know the way from here, but I can get to his house from the museum."

Bakura followed impatiently. "Ryou's going to kill me," he muttered, over and over.

"Bakura?"

_Damn it._ The voice was a girl's, but definitely not Tea. That could only mean one thing. He quickly glanced over his shoulder, and looked back to Marik with a furious expression. "Idiot! We're going right by the park!"

"What's so…oh. Whoops."

"Bakura, come join us!"

"Hurry up," Bakura urged, pushing his companion forward. They ducked into a nearby alley. "Marik, I need you to put on my jacket."

"Which one?"

He growled. "The one that's going to cause my untimely death." He shrugged it off and handed it over. "Put it on, and walk past them again. In the dark, you'll look enough like me to fool them. I'd try to lose them before I got to the docks if I were you."

"Who says I'm going to do it?"

"Pretty please?" Bakura begged sarcastically.

Marik pulled it on and replied in a similar tone, "Since you asked so nicely."

"Thank you, Marik." He waited until he heard the girls start chasing Marik before hurrying the way they'd first been going. He was still lost. "This sucks." Finally, he rounded a corner and came upon a familiar landmark: the game shop. From there, Bakura quickened his pace. He spoke Ryou's directions backward. "So a left here…another left two blocks down." And there it was, Ryou's house, the only one with _any_ lights on—_every_ light was on. He hurried up to the door and rang the bell.

_DING-DONG._

Bakura watched as Ryou glanced through the window to check who it was before throwing the door open.

"It's almost ten!"

"Sorry."

"You said you'd be back by dusk! Where have you _been_?"

"Well…"

* * *

Hope this makes up for the time between chapters!


	10. That Came Out Wrong

**Chapter Ten  
**_**That Came Out Wrong**_

"What could you have possibly been doing for _three hours_ after dusk?"

"It was only two hours and forty-five minutes."

"Close enough! What were you _doing_? I've been worried!"

"Ryou, you're acting like the parent of a teenager. I took care of myself five thousand years ago: I'm fairly sure I can take care of myself _now_."

"But…but…now there are _cars.._.and…and…there are _guns_…and _cars_…"

"You've already mentioned…" Bakura recalled their first conversation. "Oh."

Ryou nodded.

So there was another thing he was afraid of: losing someone else he cared about to a car accident. "I'm really sorry. I lost track of time."

"But you _had_ to notice that it was getting dark!"

"Yes, well…" _Have to tell him sooner or later._ He gave an almost nervous laugh. "I got stuck on the roof of a docking house."

For a few moments, all Ryou could do was stare in wonder. Finally, he regained his voice. "You got _what_?"

Bakura sighed. "Story time, I suppose. All right, in the note, I told you I was going out. I decided to go out because Marik came here last night. He sort of challenged me to a fistfight—"

"A _what_? _Why_?"

He grinned. "I called him weak. Anyway, we made bets, and mine was that he stop breaking in—"

"Wait," Ryou interjected, a terrified expression crossing his face. "You mean you haven't been _letting_ him in?"

Bakura's eyes widened. "I thought you knew." _Of course he didn't know. Twice Marik's come in at night, and the other time I had just gone downstairs to leave. Of course Ryou would have convinced himself that I've been letting Marik in._

"Marik's been _breaking in_? _How_? How has he been breaking in? Do the locks work? Did he get in through a window? _HOW_?!"

"Teleportation?" he tried.

Ryou jumped up and ran to the front door, and the back door, and every window, searching for any possible way Marik may have gotten in. Eventually, he returned to the couch, where Bakura had patiently remained. "There's no sign of forced entry."

"You see? It's fine."

"No! It's worse not knowing! What if someone _else_ were to get in the same way?"

"Ryou, I hardly think that…" The look on the boy's face stopped him. Ryou was honestly afraid. "Why are you so worried about someone breaking in?"

He looked down. "Because I'm always alone. If it were to happen, there would be no one to help me."

Bakura frowned. "You're not always alone. Just yesterday we were still sharing a body."

"But we're not anymore!"

"You were afraid, even before."

"I didn't trust you before."

"Then…" Bakura stopped as Ryou's words sank in. "You trust me?"

The boy nodded. "Why wouldn't I?"

For a few moments, Bakura was speechless. He'd thought about Ryou's faith in the people he knew. But it had never really crossed his mind that _he_—a five-thousand-year-old thief—was _really_ one of them. "People generally break in at night," Bakura said quickly, changing the subject. "Except for Marik," he muttered under his breath, "who seems to come in whenever he pleases."

"What's your point?"

"If it would really make you feel better, I'll stay in the house at night, dark to dawn."

Ryou blinked. "You would?"

"Yes."

"Did you ever go to sleep last night?"

Bakura hadn't even thought about it, but now that he did… "No. I'm not even remotely tired. Though my arms do hurt from that rope."

"What rope?"

"Now that we've gotten past Marik breaking in, I'll continue. My bet was that he stop breaking into the house, and I won. Out of curiosity, I asked him what _his_ bet had been. He would have sooner had me wrench it from his cold dead hands than hand it over. I finally got it, and he had—you'll love this—indirectly bet me going out with him."

"What's so bad about…wait, _what_?" Ryou tried to give the words another meaning, but couldn't' find one. "You mean, like a date?"

"Yes, I mean like a date. Technically I had no reason to go, but I was bored, so I did. We climbed some crates and a crane to get to the top of the docking house, and sat up there until dawn. He fell asleep; I had a few hours to myself; I complained about being hungry; he forced me to go to a restaurant; he annoyed me into letting him buy me something to distinguish myself from you—"

"Huh?"

Bakura reached down beside the couch and pulled the clothes out of the shopping bag. Between himself and Ryou, he laid a pair of black jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a black jacket. "People shouldn't be able to confuse us now."

The boy tilted his head in wonder. He saw a correlation between the clothes and their owner: dark, with a lighter side that would remain almost completely hidden.

"What is it?"

Ryou didn't want to admit what he was _really_ thinking, so he hurriedly replied, "There's no red. I thought you said red was your favorite color."

"I think my eyes have it covered. In case you haven't realized, I'm very proud of my eye color. I wouldn't want to draw attention away from them by…Ra, I sound like a woman. But you remember Sunday…wow, just yesterday…you remember that the first thing I wanted was to know my eyes were red? I like my eyes." He copied Ryou's tilted head. "But that's not what you were thinking about."

"What?" Ryou asked, trying to maintain a steady tone. "Even if I hadn't been thinking about it, how would you have known?"

"Your aura changed when I asked. And now it's even more obvious that you're lying. Just tell me." He stared at the boy with raised eyebrows. "Trust me, Ryou, you can't top Marik's bet by honestly saying anything less than that you're actually a serial killer in hiding."

_True…_ "I noticed the similarity between the clothes and your personality."

"Is that all?" Bakura chuckled. _Why would he be so reluctant to tell me _that_?_ "I'll finish my story. It was seven o'clock when I realized I'd left my blue jacket on the roof, so we went back to get it. While we were up there, the crane moved more than half the crates and parked quite a few buildings away."

"And you didn't notice this until after the fact?"

"Oh, we _noticed_. But there really wasn't much we could do about it. So I climbed down Marik's backup: the rope. I got to the arcade and was attacked by one of your fangirls."

It had taken him a moment to notice, but Ryou suddenly realized that something was missing. "Where's your other jacket?"

"Let me continue. Marik saved me from the attack; it was lucky I'd been in so much of a rush to get back here that I left the clothes at the docks. We didn't know which way to go from the arcade, so we went all the way to the museum. Apparently you have to pass the park to get to your house from there—"

"The party…" Ryou muttered.

"Yes, the party. Marik and I ducked into an alley, where I gave him the jacket. He got the girls to follow him. So then I was lost again. Finally, I came across the game shop. So, _that_ is what I could have possibly been doing for three hours after dusk."

"Won't you get bored sitting here from dark to dawn?"

"What?" Bakura asked, taken by surprise by the unexpected question. _Good thing I don't have any tea._

"You said you aren't even tired, even though you haven't slept yet. Won't you get bored just sitting here for eight or nine hours?"

"I can entertain myself."

"How?"

"You have a full bookshelf."

"Bakura, I know you well enough to know you can't sit reading a book for eight or nine hours."

"I won't have to. You'll be awake for three or four of those hours."

Ryou's face clearly showed his shock at the comment, not so much at the words themselves, but at the subtle sinister tone he'd heard in Bakura's voice that made all the difference in the connotation. "What?" _What is he implying? Maybe_, answered the other half of his mind, _he _wasn't_ just making sure you didn't fall again. Maybe_, it said, _you were WRONG._ He suppressed a wistful sigh. _Don't I wish?_

_Damn. I didn't mean to say that. And certainly not that way._ "That…that came out wrong," he lied. "I meant to say that…I meant…" There was no way to twist his words to be any less suggestive. He groaned. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _His other mind spoke up. _Or was it? Pay closer attention. You were just using his aura earlier. Use it again._ Annoying as the voice—he imagined it to be like either the angel or the devil, probably devil, sitting on his shoulder—was, it had a point. Bakura focused on Ryou.

His concentration was broken by an all too familiar voice. "Ryou, your fangirls are absolutely terrifying."

Bakura whipped around to see Marik leaning against the wall, still wearing his jacket. He jumped up. "Three things, Marik: _What_ the hell are you doing here, _when_ the hell did you get here, and _how_ the hell did you get in?!" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ryou cringe with every _hell_. If he hadn't been so furious, he would have felt bad. But Marik had picked the _wrong_ time to break in.

Marik shrank back. "Um…I'm returning your jacket, just now, and I used the key."

Ryou's eyes flashed. "What key?"

"There's a key over your door." He held it out to Ryou, whose hand flashed out to take it. "Your father left some sort of note on it."

"A note?" He turned the key in his palm and saw words engraved into it.

_I know you'll probably end up locking yourself out at some point, so I'm leaving this for you so it doesn't end up being so big of a problem. --Father_

"Wh-why would he…? I have a—"

"Ryou, I don't think he realizes that you keep it clipped to your belt loop. Though I can see you losing it anyway."

Ryou looked up at Bakura. "How do you know that I—"

"We shared a body for quite a while. I think I've had time to pick up on most of your quirks." He looked at the clock. "It's eleven. You should probably make your tea and go to bed."

"What? Why?" He hurried out of the room when Bakura shot a _just-do-it_ glance at him.

Bakura waited until he was sure Ryou wouldn't be able to hear him before speaking. "You know that you've had him terrified, don't you?"

Slowly, Marik came closer, once again looking like he expected to get his throat slit. "How?"

"By letting yourself in. I told you he's scared of someone breaking in."

"I didn't know that until this morning."

"You did it again, just now."

"I thought he would be asleep. I didn't want to wake him up by ringing the doorbell."

"Every light in the house is on, and you thought that he was _asleep_?"

Marik shrugged. "I can sleep with the sun in my face. I figured Ryou might have fallen asleep waiting for you."

"Bakura," came Ryou's voice from the kitchen. "Where did you put the teapot?"

Marik snickered. "You made tea?"

With a growl, Bakura replied, "Yes, I made tea. Just a minute!" he called before turning away from Marik and entering the kitchen, where Ryou had opened every cabinet.

"It's not in any of them," he said as Bakura walked in.

"Are you sure? I could have sworn it was in this one…" Bakura reached up over Ryou's shoulder; he placed his other hand on the counter to keep his balance, effectively trapping the boy between the counter and himself.

Ryou tensed as Bakura leaned closer, trying to see the higher shelves. He tried not to think about it. He didn't want his aura giving him away again, however that worked. But it was impossible to slow his heart as Bakura came back down with the teapot in his hand.

"Sorry. I guess I slid it too far back." He set it on the counter. "There you go." Bakura could see a slight flush to the boy's face. Only then did he notice how near they were. _NOW!_ his other voice shouted. _You can find out what he was thinking earlier NOW._ But he ignored the voice's suggestion. _Who _cares_ what he's thinking? This is just too easy._ Bakura fought against himself. It would be so simple just to lean forward and take advantage of Ryou's mild disposition. _But he's just a kid_, he told himself. _So is Marik_, retorted the other voice. _Marik is a very different kid. You were thinking that he's just as childlike as Ryou. In his own way. I think they may share this aspect of their innocence. Which side are you on? The side that says, "Go for it." How did I know?_ He stepped back and turned away. _Not here, not now, if ever_, he thought. _Wuss_, scoffed the other voice. Bakura was so lost within his mind he ran straight into Marik as he turned the corner. He shook his head to clear it before looking up at the boy. "What are you doing standing here?"

"Um…here's your jacket?" he tried.

Bakura grabbed the front of Marik's shirt and pulled him along. "Ryou, I'll be out back if you need me!" he called over his shoulder.


	11. I'm Jealous!

**Chapter Eleven  
**_**I'm Jealous!**_

Bakura yanked Marik out the back door and closed it behind them. "What were you doing?"

"Returning your jacket," he replied shakily.

"Marik, you're a worse liar than Ryou."

"I'm not—"

Bakura groaned. "Not only are you still wearing the jacket, you're also acting guilty, even though I really _don't_ have much to put against you. And you're awful at concealing your aura." He let go of Marik's shirt. "What were you doing?"

He looked away. "For lack of a better word, spying."

"Why?" _I want to _hear_ him say this_, he thought with a dark smirk that was invisible in the unlit yard.

There was a pause. "I…I'm jealous! It's not fair that _he_ gets you in his _house_, while _I_ get reprimanded for using the key to get in so I can return your jacket! It's not fair that _he_ potentially has you at all hours of the day, while _I_ have to fight just to get you to look my direction! It's not—"

Bakura cut him off with a kiss. He pulled away and said quietly, "Marik, Ryou's just a kid. I wouldn't dream of laying a finger on him." He watched Marik's shadowed face go through a wide range of expressions as the boy tried to pull his head together. _This is too much fun. Who knew I could be such a Casanova? Me. Shut up. I was agreeing with you. I don't want to hear you. Have fun, then, while _I_ drift back into thoughts of our "little boyfriend". You do that…Ra, I'm schizophrenic._ Bakura tuned the voice out and returned his attention to Marik, who was still in a slight daze. "You look surprised."

"I…I…"

Bakura leaned closer. "Let's not talk about it." When he was just a hair from Marik, he quickly stepped back.

"What is it?" Marik asked in a confusion-laced tone.

"Ryou." He turned his head as the back door opened and the boy stepped out. "What is it?"

"Well…" Ryou walked up to where Bakura and Marik were standing and held out his hand. "_I_ don't need this, and there's no point in wasting it. You'll need one, too."

Bakura reached out and took the object that was being held out to him. "The key?"

He nodded. "And a chain. Just, _please_ don't lose it. And it's _yours_, not _his_," Ryou added pointedly. He watched as Bakura clipped it to his own belt loop and slipped the key into his pocket.

"Okay. Thank you, Ryou," he said with a smile. "I suppose you're going to bed?"

"Not yet. My water's still heating. I figured I'd forget if I didn't give it to you now."

"Well, if I don't see you before you go to bed, good-night, Ryou."

"Remember your promise."

"I know, kid. Dark to dawn. I'll be here."

As he left, Ryou could faintly hear Marik asking, "Dark to dawn? Why?"

The boy walked back into the house. As soon as he had shut the back door, he hurried around to a window and peered out carefully. He could have sworn he'd seen Bakura take a quick backward step from Marik as he'd approached the door. _I HAVE to be wrong…_ Ryou watched for a long time as they talked. Nothing more interesting had happened by the time the teapot began to whistle. He began to turn away, relieved that he had just been imagining the whole thing, when he caught it out of the corner of his eye.

Bakura put an arm around Marik's waist; Marik crossed his wrists behind Bakura's neck.

_No…no…no…no…_ Ryou stared in dismay, wishing desperately for Bakura to just push Marik away from him. _Nonononono…_ But his silent protest did no good. He fought the growing urge to run. _No. He won't. He won't._ "No…" The boy watched as Bakura pressed his lips to Marik's. Ryou stood there, unmoving, until he felt Bakura's eyes come to rest on him through the window. He turned and ran into the kitchen. As his vision clouded, he tried to convince himself that it was just from the steam hanging around the whistling teapot. With a full cup of tea, he sat at the table. "It's not fair," Ryou murmured. "_Why_…?" He stared straight ahead, not focusing on anything around him. After everything Ryou had done for him in the past three days, Bakura was out there holding _Marik_, who had done nothing but break into the house to spend time around him. Just fifteen minutes ago, Bakura had spoken so suggestively of having three or four hours together every night. _Did I just imagine the tone of his voice?_ He sighed. _How can I blame him, though? Marik's much more forward than I am. He got Bakura to go out with him, even though he lost the bet. But Bakura had to forcibly take the bet from him. He still went, didn't he? True…maybe _you_ should ask him out_, suggested the other voice._ WHAT?! NO! He's already out there with Marik! What does that prove? Maybe he's just passing the time until you work up the courage to say something. Don't I wish? Yes…yes you do._ Ryou drained the last of his tea. As he turned out of the kitchen, he could have sworn he saw a flash of white disappear around the corner. "Bakura?" he whispered. Getting no answer, he continued up the steps, convinced it had just been his imagination.

When he was sure the boy had shut his bedroom door behind himself, Bakura stepped back around the corner and gazed up the stairs. Ryou's unstable aura was strong with an innocent questioning and just as innocent a longing. Bakura had seen the kid's face through the window: the wounded expression he'd worn had been heartrending. _Look who's talking_, came the voice. _Of all the people, _you_ feel bad for kissing a hot kid because of the look on Ryou's face._ He sighed. _Yes, of all the people, _I_ feel bad for kissing a hot kid because of the look on Ryou's face._ He walked into the kitchen, where the teapot was still sitting on the stove. "That's not like him." A groan escaped his lips. "The kid's really upset." Bakura dumped the remaining water into the sink and dried the teapot. "Which shelf is this _supposed_ to go on?" _Who cares?_ It really was tempting to put it back on the same top shelf he'd put it on last night so Ryou would have to ask for his help again tomorrow. _But will he, after what he saw? Of course he will. He's jealous, after all. He'll jump at any chance he can get to claim you._ He slid the teapot to the back of the top shelf. "Why didn't I just take my chance the _first_ time around?" _Marik would have seen. I didn't know that at the time. Divine intervention? I need to apologize to the kid. WHY? Because he's upset. But APOLOGIZE…I mean, what are you going to say, "Hey kid, I know I just made out with Marik, but it didn't mean anything. At least not to me. He's just a toy. Sorry I had you thinking I actually LIKE him."? Something like that, yes. If THAT'S your plan, you may as well just grab him by the arm and kiss him. Not likely. Marik's not here to watch: you made him go back to his boat for the night, remember? Of course I do. You two won't be bothered for the rest of the night. I'm not going to hurt him. How is it hurting him if it's what he desires? It's taking advantage of him; he's just a kid. So is Marik. We've had this conversation…oh, Ra, I really AM schizophrenic._ Bakura shut the cabinet and turned to the hall. Just as he was readying to climb the steps, there was a knock at the door. He looked out the window before opening it. "Marik? What are you doing back here?"

The boy held out the blue jacket. "I never did return this."

Bakura reached out and took it. _I can't resist this._ "Sorry I kicked you out. I had to check on Ryou."

"And I couldn't stay, because…?"

"Because he looked really upset over…us."

"So you kick me out of the…wait, what?"

Bakura suppressed a dark chuckle. _Now I've got him interested._ "Ryou looked upset over us."

Marik choked. "U-_us_?"

"Of course," he replied with a faint smirk. "I'm not like this with just anyone, you know."

"You'll be my boyfriend?" Marik asked, his tone heavy with doubt.

He nodded. The delight on the boy's face put a brief smile on Bakura's. "Ryou never said anything about letting you in. Just as long as you don't start actually _breaking_ in."

"I'll knock," he promised.

Bakura took his hand. "We'll have to entertain ourselves. Ryou's sleeping. Would you rather stay down here, or go upstairs?" _I hope that wasn't too obvious._

"We shouldn't disturb Ryou," Marik replied brightly.

_He didn't understand. Good. And yet bad. This might end up being difficult. CASANOVA! Shut. Up._

'He has a television in the living room, doesn't he?" he continued. "If we keep the volume down, it shouldn't bother him."

"Sounds good." _But it'll be better if I can seduce you…that sounded better as an abstract concept._ Bakura led Marik into the living room and sat him down. "Do you even _watch_ television?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Some."

"What do you watch?"

"Whatever's on. I don't have my _own_ television."

After a few seconds, Bakura turned with a slightly sheepish expression. "To be honest, I don't know how to work this. Ryou doesn't use it much, and the few times he has, I wasn't really concerned enough to pay attention. Could you help?"

Marik matched his expression to Bakura's. "I don't really know how to work a television, either. I can try." He got up and crouched beside Bakura. "Um…I know that this symbol means 'power', so that one turns it on. And these two sets are the channel and volume buttons. I don't know which is which, though."

"Well, the first step is turning it on." Bakura pressed the power button. And pressed it again. And again. "You've got to be kidding me." He punched the button a few more times with the same result: nothing. He growled. "What could _possibly_ be wrong with it?"

"Maybe it's unplugged," Marik suggested before crawling around to peer behind the television. "No, it's in. I'm out of ideas."

Bakura stood. "Ryou may still be awake. Let me check. If he is, he'll be able to help."

"I thought you said he was asleep."

He shrugged. "He finished his tea and went into his room. There's a chance he's lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. I'll be back in a minute." He stole up the stairs and silently opened Ryou's door.

The boy was deep inside his 'not quite' ancient Egyptian dream world. "Rubies…"

Bakura sighed.

"Brilliant…blood…beautiful…Bakura…rubies…"

He was almost out the door when a new word caught his ear.

"Seraf…rubies…"

"What?" he asked as he turned back.

"Seraf…"

_Seraf…why does that sound so familiar?_

_

* * *

_

Um...I've had chapter ten done, but I wasn't sure if this would be long enough to stand on its own, so I waited. Sorry! Hope you liked these chapters!

By the way, no, I don't mean _seraph_. You'll see what I _do_ mean soon. I hope...

Big thanks to the people who have reviewed up to this point!


	12. You Can't Trust A Thief

**Chapter Twelve  
**_**You Can't Trust A Thief**_

Ryou lay staring up into the dark, star-specked sky. Bakura had been gone a long time now. He'd left with Marik to take him home; he'd said he'd be back by nightfall. It had to be several hours past. _I hope Marik's father didn't give him to the pharaoh's men._ Even as he thought it, Ryou realized how ridiculous that sounded and laughed at himself. But he quieted as soon as he began. It wasn't like Bakura to be late. And certainly not _this_ late. _Maybe he got lost…_ He knew that _that_ was even less likely than his first theory, but who knew in this desert? _Even the great Thief King must get turned around in the constantly shifting sands once in a while._ It was funny to think of Bakura as the 'Thief King'. The title made him sound like so many things he had proved he was _not_. Another giggle escaped his lips. _Thief King Bakura: he's the most evil person you'll ever meet. He's so bad he steals kidnapped boys who have been forced into slavery and returns them to their homes. And the ones who don't _have_ homes have the choice of finding one or remaining with him. The biggest decision I'll ever have to make_, thought Ryou. He still hadn't made up his mind about what he was going to do. He trusted Bakura enough that he would stay with him…if he didn't think of himself as a liability. Ryou knew he wasn't the best companion for a thief. He wasn't the fastest runner, especially not in the sand; he still hadn't gotten used to riding Lazuli, Bakura's horse; and, of course, the thing that had gotten Bakura into this project of protecting him. _Really, why do they all think I'm so attractive?_ He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Don't fall asleep on me, kid. I told you we aren't camping here."

Ryou's eyes flew open to find Bakura bending over him, wearing a faint smirk. The boy jumped up and threw his arms around Bakura's waist. "I've been worried!"

Bakura stiffened, unsure of how to react to the embrace. Slowly, he unwrapped the boy's arms and stepped back. "You should know better than to worry."

"Where have you been?"

"Marik's father was interested to hear the whole story, from the kidnapping to the moment we arrived at the door. Marik had some interesting details of what happened before I set up camp with Geb's band. He was treated exceptionally well in comparison to some of the other boys. We'd better get going." He pulled at the rope around Lazuli's muzzle.

As they started off at a brisk pace, Ryou asked, "Where _are_ we going?"

"Well, unless you would rather not, I have a certain pyramid in mind. It makes a good camping ground."

The boy's face lit up. "Sounds like fun!"

A slight smile crossed Bakura's face. "I thought you might like the idea." After roughly a half hour of walking in silence, he spoke again. "Ryou?"

"Yes?"

Bakura took a deep breath. "Have you decided yet?"

"Decided what?" he asked slowly.

"You know what."

Ryou looked down and shook his head, eliciting a sigh from his companion. "I…I'm sorry. It's just really hard."

"Oh? How is that?"

"I…" He paused, not really wanting to tell Bakura what was keeping him from jumping at the chance to remain with him. But one glance into the sparkling rubies that stared down at him with curiosity drug the truth from him. "I don't want to put you in danger."

Bakura surprised him with a bark of laughter. "You? Put _me_ in danger?"

"Yes."

He threw his free arm over Ryou's shoulder. "Kid, you should be more concerned about _yourself_." He laughed again. "I've hung around more dangerous _women_ than you." After a moment, the comment sunk in. "That sounded much better in my head."

Ryou gave a shrug. "I understand how you meant it." It _did_ have a bit of a sting, though.

"I still shouldn't have said it. Sorry."

"It's fine."

"Anyway, what were _you_ trying to say? That if you didn't consider yourself a burden, you would stay with me?"

"Yes."

"You're a peculiar one."

"I seem to get that a lot."

"Well, it's true. _Why_ would you want to stay with me? You've seen how much trouble I can get myself into. No, on second thought, you really haven't. That was small compared to the troubles I've caused elsewhere."

"I trust you. I don't think you'd let me get hurt."

"Of course I wouldn't. But still, being around me is…you trust me?"

Ryou nodded. "I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"That's about as solid of ground for trusting me as the sand beneath our feet."

"Why are you trying to convince me not to trust you?"

A groan escaped his throat. "Ryou, you can't trust a thief."

"Why not?"

"Because…we're not the best breed. Especially not me. Lying and stealing is in my blood. There's hardly a drop—if that—of nobility in it."

"You've been very noble for the past week," Ryou retorted.

"And every moment has been a struggle. Being around you two boys has been the biggest trial of my self-control the gods have ever given me."

"I think you passed," he replied.

"I don't. I think I still have a _long_ way to go."

"I have faith in you."

"You shouldn't. The temptation grows with every passing moment. You know that it's always been worse with you, and now that Marik is gone, we are completely _alone_. I may not be able to resist for much longer."

Ryou was completely unfazed by the comment. Bakura had made it very clear to both him and Marik that he found them sexually attractive, especially Ryou. He had also made it very clear that he would try his best to refrain from laying even a finger on them, though he couldn't make any promises. So far, he'd done an excellent job of restraining himself, and Ryou had no doubt that Bakura would maintain his self-control. "You'll pass the trial."

"You're so innocent," Bakura mused.

"What?"

"You're so innocent," he repeated. "You don't expect me to hurt you, and I don't understand _why_. I'm the Thief King! Most people cringe at the sound of my name, yet here _you_ stand, not even remotely disconcerted by my touch!" He pulled Ryou slightly nearer, reminding him that he hadn't removed his arm from the boy's shoulders. "Even as I'm pulling you along beside me, you're trying to convince me that I'm not a threat!"

"I'm not afraid of you."

"That's just it: you _should_ be! You should be terrified! You should…" He noticed that Ryou had shrunk into his arm as his voice had risen. "I'm sorry. It's just that…it…Ryou, it worries me that you're not afraid. When I finally succumb—and yes, that's a _when_, not an _if_—if you're not afraid, you'll be that much easier to hurt."

"I don't think you'll hurt me."

"You don't think I'll do a lot of things that I most certainly _will_. Kid, thieves are masters of surprise, and when we're around other thieves that we're close to—friends, family—the surprises can take a very unexpected turn."

The way Bakura had subtly turned the conversation around caught Ryou off guard, and for a moment, he was slightly lost. "What?"

"We like to steal from each other. As thieves, we understand the inexplicable urge to take what isn't ours. Of course, when you're around thieves who know you, you can't really use the same tricks. It's sort of like practice for us, really. We get creative about how we get what we want. Food's always a fun one."

"I…I'm confused. What are you trying to prove by this?"

_A better question would be where I'm _going_ with this._ He gave an almost inaudible dark chuckle and continued in a softer, almost sinister tone. "But sometimes we get creative about _what_ we steal. It doesn't really happen often—there's really not much we would steal from a friend that we wouldn't steal from a complete stranger—but when it does, it's usually quite the heist, something the victim won't soon forget."

"What could you possibly want to steal from a friend that you wouldn't want to steal from a stranger?"

"Well, clothes are the most common. The look on their face when they wake up is _priceless_."

"Huh?"

Bakura realized he hadn't explained himself clearly. "I mean, the clothes they're _wearing_. We don't like stealing the clothes off a stranger's back because we don't know where _those_ have been."

"What would stealing your friends clothes _accomplish_?"

A grin spread across Bakura's face. "You prove you can steal from a sleeping thief. You don't want to try that unless you and the victim are very close, though. If you aren't and you get caught, you will _die_. But," he said, the grin melting into a smirk, "there are some things that we almost _never_ dare to steal. The likelihood of surviving if they find you afterward is very slim, even if the friend _isn't_ a thief."

"What could you steal from someone that would almost guarantee death?"

"For one, a favorite slave, like you and Marik. If Geb and I ever meet again, he will do everything he can to see me die. Sometimes, though, we don't steal anything that _belongs_ to the victim, but they still don't want us to take."

"How could you steal something from someone if it doesn't belong to them?"

"Stealing doesn't always mean picking something up and running away with it. The word has a more figurative definition as well."

"I don't understand."

Bakura chuckled again, this time loudly enough for his companion to hear. "Are you familiar with the expression '_stealing_ a kiss'?" Before Ryou had time to react, he grabbed the boy's wrist and held it above his head, loosely trapping him. Bakura pressed his lips to Ryou's. He knew it wouldn't last long, but whatever he could get would be worth the effort. He anticipated the desperate struggle that would arise just moments after Ryou regained his bearings, almost craving it, just so he could exploit his superior strength. But he never got the chance.

Ryou's head was spinning. His shock froze him. A relentless tempest raged in his head; it was impossible to think clearly. All he had left was what he was feeling. Bakura's loosely gripping hand was cool on his wrist, but his lips on Ryou's were warm. Ryou feared nothing. In truth, he was calmer now than he had been when they first started walking.

Bakura was as shocked by Ryou's reaction as Ryou had been by their initial contact. Even as he was expecting him to try to wrench free, the boy relaxed against him. The drop of nobility fought desperately against the rest of his blood, but it was a losing battle. He dropped Ryou's wrist and wrapped an arm around the boy's waist, just as he had the night they met—except for that he now didn't have to worry about seven angry thieves peering out of their tents. No, now it was just him and Ryou. He leaned back against Lazuli, pulling the boy with him. Slowly, he drew away to catch his breath. The look on Ryou's face was far from the almost comical expression he had expected: the boy's eyes were still closed, and his mouth had remained slightly opened. Bakura could feel the delicate rise and fall of Ryou's chest with each breath the boy took, no doubt trying to slow his heart and clear his mind. Even in the present situation, everything about the boy had a childlike quality. The nobility held Bakura back long enough for Ryou's breathing to slow and his eyes to open. He whispered into the boy's ear. "I warned you, kid."

"I know."

"Good." Their lips met again, and this time, Bakura had no intention of holding back or letting up. He felt as Ryou's arms folded gently around his neck. He savored every slow, soft motion the boy made in response to Bakura's more aggressive movements. His innocent desire was charming to say the least. It was easy for Bakura to finally surrender to his own, not-so-innocent desire, so much easier than suppressing his insatiable lust. His week of nobility was _over_.

Ryou sensed the darkness of Bakura's desire in his touch. Each caress was more demanding than the last. And yet, he felt no need to struggle. He gave in, allowed Bakura total control. He knew he was perfectly safe.

Bakura felt Ryou's moan of content more than he actually heard it. The kid _really_ wasn't helping himself. Everything the boy did was just encouraging him to press on, pull him closer, kiss him more deeply. His lips slowly traveled downward to rest on the boy's neck. _"…if you're not afraid, you'll be that much easier to hurt."_ The memory of his own voice stopped him cold. Bakura shoved Ryou away from himself, sending him sprawling into the sand. He flinched: he hadn't meant to push him _that_ hard.

Ryou took the hand Bakura offered him, stunned by the sudden act. One look into his companion's furiously burning eyes put an expression of pure terror on his own face.

Upon noticing the boy's reaction, Bakura's face softened. "I'm not angry with _you_, kid. Just myself. Come on." He mounted Lazuli and helped Ryou to climb up behind him. "We're going to Memphis," he told him as he pressed his heels into the mare's sides.

The boy held tightly to Bakura's waist, afraid of falling. Bakura had never made him ride _behind_ him. "Why?"

"We're visiting Seraf."

"Who's Seraf?"

"An old friend of mine."

* * *

Hope you liked this episode of the 'not quite' about ancient Egypt dream!

Um, by the way, the horse's name, Lazuli, is a shortened version of _lapis lazuli_, which was a popular, semi-precious blue stone. In case you didn't know why she was named that.


	13. Now What?

**Chapter Thirteen  
**_**Now What?**_

Bakura stood at Ryou's bedside, searching his memory for that name—he knew it was a name. "Seraf…I can't even remember if that's a man or a woman." He growled at himself. _Ryou remembers more about my past than I do. And_, he realized, _he talks in his sleep._ "Who is Seraf?" Bakura whispered.

"An old friend…"

"Man or woman?" he persisted.

"Didn't say…rubies…"

"Of course not," Bakura muttered under his breath. _I'd better not give Marik any more reason to make jokes about our friendship._ There was a sneering laughter in his head. _You know that's not what this is._ He sighed. _It will be if I say it enough times._ The voice returned with, _Ryou is JEALOUS. What don't you get about that? You're hurting him more by denying what you _really_ feel than you would if you were to stab him with a knife…repeatedly._ Bakura ignored the voice and went back downstairs.

Marik was still kneeling in front of the television, puzzling over what could possibly be wrong with it.

"The kid's asleep," Bakura said as he came up behind him.

"That's disappointing." Marik stood, and with his back still to Bakura, he asked, "Why do you call Ryou a kid? He and I are the same age."

_Exactly. You're a kid too._ "Well," he began slowly. _Think of something that won't scare him off or seem suspicious…_ "He…he's become something of a brother, I suppose." _LIES!!!_ the voice shouted. _It's obviously a pet name, and not a brotherly one…to you._ "Over the three days we've _really_ been close, we've looked out for each other. That's why I promised to stay here at night." _That, and you had a few ideas of what you and Ryou could do until he got tired._

"Oh…do have any idea how old _you_ are?"

"About five thousand," replied Bakura, smirking.

Marik gave a slight scowl in return. "You know what I meant."

"But do I?"

"Do you have any idea how old you are _physically_?" he growled.

Bakura chuckled. "Not really. I lost count after about thirteen. I'd say I lived a few more years after that. I'm fairly sure I'm older than you and Ryou, but I don't know by how much. It can't have been long. I don't think I ever reached twenty."

"Um…so seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen. You're probably at least eighteen."

"Five floods after thirteen…" _I'll have to see if Ryou knows._ Bakura looked back at the television. "Now what?" He barely caught the garments that were thrust into his arms.

"You never did put these together. Ryou knows about them, so he won't call the police on you now. Put them on!"

"What?"

"Try on the new clothes!" Marik repeated. "You must be a _little_ curious to see what they look like."

"I'm not playing dress-up."

"Dress-up? Why would you think of it as—"

Bakura dropped the clothes back on the couch. "I still don't like accepting the money."

"It's a little late."

"I'm not going to play a little girl's game."

Marik threw the clothes at him again. "Try them on!"

"No!" Soon they were hurling the garments back and forth. Bakura finally caught them and held them. "This is stupid. Fighting over this is more feminine than trying them on. I'll put them on, as long as _you_ stop bothering me."

Marik gave a slight triumphant smirk. "Okay."

"Ra, you are so gay," muttered Bakura as he started toward the bathroom.

"What? What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's meant as an insult."

"You are too!"

"At least _I_ don't act it."

Any retort Marik may have been readying to use was caught in his throat.

Bakura chuckled darkly. "Did I touch a _nerve_, Marik?" He smirked and started back toward the bathroom.

"…Ru…" Marik hesitated. "Ru…Rubies is as gay as they come!"

Bakura stopped in his tracks.

"Did I touch a _nerve_, Bakura?"

He clenched and unclenched his fists. "Marik, if you value your life, you will _not_ continue to speak of Ryou."

"I'll do as I please! _Rubies_ is a worthless child who depends upon everyone around him to watch over and care for him! He's a little girl who runs the risk of being beaten to death every time he steps out of the house!"

The clothes dropped to the floor. Slowly, Bakura turned, a forced calmness to his face that was betrayed by the fury burning in his deep red eyes. "Ryou is more masculine than you will _ever_ be." His voice rose. "_You_ look like a woman. Every moment you spend in the open leaves you susceptible to an attempted rape that would result in a slow, painful death once they realized that you're male. Of course, they could rape you anyway. That Rod would be ripped from your hand the moment you pulled it out of your belt. When I found out you had been brutally murdered, I would track the killers down, thank them, then slay them quickly and painlessly when they refused to hand over the Millennium Rod."

Throughout Bakura's wicked speech, Marik's eyes had grown and filled with the terror the images had given him.

Bakura chuckled. "You're thinking that I'm just giving myself ideas." He took a deep breath and looked away. "I know you didn't mean what you said about Ryou. _I_ didn't mean what I just said about you. But now you know how the insults sound. Do not talk about him."

After a few more seconds of silence, Marik found his voice. "Do you _like_ him?" he asked with a hint of incredulity.

Bakura choked. _You really kept that secret_, said the voice. _Tell him now, get rid of him. Then Ryou will be all yours._ He sighed. "No. But I do care. He _does_ need someone to watch over him, even if he won't admit it. I'm here. Don't say anything to me you wouldn't say to his face."

"What happened to you? In three days you've gone from not caring to being his big brother. I don't understand it."

"I…neither do I. He has that effect, I suppose. Spend a couple of days with him and see how _you_ come out. He withstood my darkness from the moment he was given the Ring. He forgave everything that's happened in the past few months. Like I've said, the kid has a heart of gold." Bakura stooped down and picked up the clothes. "Is this fight over?"

Marik nodded dubiously.

"I believe I told you I would put these on?" He disappeared into the bathroom. As he pulled the clothes on, Bakura sank into a deep contemplation. _What am I doing? I know this is hurting Ryou. Not everything I told Marik is true, but some things are. I _do_ care. I wish I didn't. I've never had a problem with lying, but this one is eating me alive._ The voice cut in, darker and angrier than it had ever been before. _Bakura, you are a FOOL. Tell Marik to leave NOW. Give him back the clothes, give him the receipts, and tell him to GO. Tell him the TRUTH. He can't hurt Ryou as long as you're around._ Bakura growled. _I'm not touching Ryou. He's just a kid. He's safer bearing this sorrow now than ever having me leave him in a desolation. He's— _He was cut off by a violent shout. _YOU KNOW THAT ISN'T TRUE!!! DO YOU HAVE _ANY IDEA_ HOW MUCH HE TRUSTS YOU?! HE TOLD YOU _EVERYTHING_!!! HE GAVE YOU A _KEY_ TO HIS _HOUSE_!!! WHAT MORE DOES HE HAVE TO DO TO CONVINCE YOU THAT HE IS _SUFFERING_?! HOW MANY MORE SIGNS DO YOU NEED TO TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE _KILLING_ HIM?!_ Bakura stared at himself in the mirror. The situation was impossible. No matter _what_ he did, Ryou was going to get hurt. He knew that for certain. But which was the lesser of the two evils? Which would be easier on the boy: breaking his heart now, or after giving him a false hope of forever? It had seemed obvious before, but now Bakura had his doubts. He slammed a fist on the sink. "Marik is right," he muttered. "I've changed. But," he said to himself, gazing into his own eyes reflected, "that can be fixed. I'll start by ridding myself of this Ra damned conscience I seem to have developed. Marik should be able to assist me with that." Bakura opened the door and walked back into the living room. "You finally got it to turn on?"

Marik turned from the mysteriously operational television. "You were taking a while, so I tried again. I guess that that turns on the power for it," he said, pointing to a switch on the wall. He stood and took a quick sweep of Bakura. "They look good."

"Wha…oh, yes. Thank you." Marik's stare made him uncomfortable. Bakura began to turn away, but stopped. _No. I'm getting rid of this conscience. This is the perfect opportunity. This will be _easy_. I just have to wait for the perfect moment to strike._ "What were you watching?" he asked, referring to the television.

Marik turned. "To be honest, I really don't know. This is the channel that was playing when I got it to turn on. I think it's American. I can't understand what they're saying, but there are words that go by on the bottom of the screen. Something about the history of 'Dracula'."

"I think it's the History Channel. Ryou likes watching this sort of thing, but he won't settle for any _normal_ channel. I'm not quite sure how he even managed to get this one. Let's look for something else." He grabbed Marik's wrist and dragged him back to the couch. "Do you know how to work this?" he asked as he held up the remote.

Marik shook his head. "Not really. But it has words written on it that tell you what each button is. This is…what does that symbol mean?"

"I…I have no idea. Actually, I have no idea what _any_ of the symbols mean. I can't read. Japanese," Bakura added quickly. "I can't read Japanese."

"Then how have you been playing Duel Monsters?"

A slight laugh escaped his lips. "Ryou read the card descriptions out loud. They weren't all that hard to memorize." He examined the remote again. "These are numbers. That much I _can_ read. Aren't the channels numbered? And these are the…channel and volume, correct? So the channel buttons scroll through the stations. Which are the channel?"

Marik took the remote from Bakura and pressed down on the first set. "No," he said when the volume bar appeared at the bottom of the screen. He moved his thumb to the second set and pressed down. The history show flicked to an overrated drama. "These buttons change the volume, and these change the channel." Just as Marik raised his arm to search the stations, Bakura ripped the remote from his hand. "You could have just asked," he muttered indignantly.

"That would take too much time. I just remembered something Ryou said a long time ago. Channel one hundred twenty-one…" Slowly, he punched in the numbers. A wicked grin crossed his face. "I believe we're just in time for a movie. Are you easily frightened?"

"Is that a joke?"

"Yes, actually." Bakura stood and turned out all the lights before settling back on the couch, much nearer to Marik than he had been before. _Easy._ He put an arm around Marik's waist and leaned to whisper into his ear. "I hope you like blood, because from the looks of the title, there will be a lot of it." He drew Marik closer, chuckling when the boy tensed. _But challenging enough to be fun._ "_Cannibal Holocaust_," he continued, still whispering into Marik's ear. "It sounds promising to me. What do _you_ think of it?"

"I…um…I"

Marik was flustered; Bakura savored it. "I'm sure you'll know within the first half hour." He was looking forward to this: there was no doubt in his mind that at some point Marik was going to be frightened, and his first reaction would be to turn away from the screen. All Bakura had to do was wait. As the movie progressed, he could feel Marik cringe so often that it was almost a twitch. But he never turned away. _Perhaps more challenging than I anticipated._ The movie was close to ending; it wasn't likely that Marik would want to leave the lights off and watch the next one. Bakura stood. "I'll be back in a moment." He circled around behind the couch. _This is so juvenile. But his reaction will be priceless._ He waited, watching for an appropriate moment. In perfect sync with a surprise attack on the movie, Bakura jumped the couch, landed beside Marik, and pinned the boy down, eliciting a short shriek of terror from him. Bakura growled menacingly. "Scared?" he asked with a smirk.

Marik didn't even attempt to lie. He gave a weak nod.

"Good." Bakura leaned down until their noses touched. The voice raged in his head. _NO!!! HAVE YOU NOT been listening to m…_ Its angry rants faded as Bakura pressed his lips to Marik's, kissing him with no feeling but an unbridled greed. _I've solved my first problem._

_

* * *

_

Don't kill me! This is just how things worked out! You'll see.

Anyway, any fan of _Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series_, did you get the movie joke?

**Happy birthday Ryou!**

I've been meaning to say this, but I have a series of Linkin Park oneshots for these three, if you haven't read them already. The first is called "One Step Closer".


	14. I'm So Confused

**Chapter Fourteen  
**_**I'm So Confused**_

Ryou tossed in his bed. Surrounding him was a faint voice that was not of his dream. His eyes shut tighter; he shook his head back and forth. "Why?…" he murmured. "No…I'm not…you don't have to…_please_…" Ryou shot straight up as a short muffled shriek reached his ears. He groaned, disoriented. "Wha…? Was that a…?" The boy slid out of his bed and stood there for a moment, swaying. His head felt light, like he was still in his dream. When the dizziness passed, he continued out the door and down the stairs. As he began to turn into the kitchen, Ryou caught sight of the dark living room, from which there came blaring screams…though not like the one that had awakened him. "Wha…?" He approached the living room in a trance-like state, transfixed by the flashing screen. At the doorway, he came to an inexplicable stop. There was sound that definitely did not belong to the bloody movie that was playing. On some instinct, he hid; he had a strong feeling that he probably shouldn't get caught spying.

"You didn't find it funny at all?"

There was a long pause. Finally, a breathless voice—Marik's, Ryou realized—answered. "I'm watching a movie about _cannibals_. No, I don't find it funny at—" He cut off for no apparent reason. After a moment that, to Ryou, seemed like forever, Marik finished his sentence. "—all."

A dark chuckle—_Bakura's_ dark chuckle—faded and the television was the only noise in the room.

Ryou hurried back up the stairs and into his room as silently as he could manage. He dropped onto his bed and cried into his knees. Every time he tried to compose himself, the sobs returned with twice the pain. Inside his head raged pure, incomprehensible chaos. _I really thought he… How could I have believed Bakura actually… Does he even plan on telling me?… Why is he down… What didn't I… WHY???_ Slowly, the storm calmed enough for Ryou to think clearly. _Why am I crying? So Bakura doesn't like me. Why does it matter so much?_ His "voice" answered the question. _Because he's the first person you've ever seen in this light. You really have to appreciate the irony. Bakura—_t_he one you believed was _scaring off_ anyone who might help you decide—ended up _being_ the one who helped you decide. He's your first love._ Ryou shook his head. _No he isn't. He would have to like me back. The feeling _has_ to be mutual._ The voice began again. _You've read the tragic one-sided love stories; you know it doesn't HAVE to be mutual. And aside from that, how do you know that it ISN'T mutual?_ The tears he had just choked back welled in his eyes, threatening to flow freely once more. _Because he's down there with Marik. MARIK._ The tears fell silently; Ryou tried to wipe them from his face, but they just kept coming. The voice spoke in a softer, soothing tone. _Have you ever considered how ALIKE you and Marik are? You're both sixteen. You both have long hair. You're both lonely. You're both just kids to Bakura. Have you ever considered that maybe he's with Marik because he doesn't want to hurt YOU?_ A short laugh of disbelief escaped his lips. _Is _that_ what I'm telling myself? Am I _really_ that desperate?_ He gave a sigh and laid back, allowing his eyes to close and shut out the world around him. _You have _never_ made unfounded theories before. Why would you start now? Just…think about it._ Slowly, he drifted back into a disturbed, fitful slumber.

:::

The next time Ryou woke, it was to the reddish light of sunrise. He glanced at his clock. _5:30._ It wasn't nearly time to get up, but he knew there was no way he would be able to go back to sleep, so he slid out of bed and went downstairs to have breakfast early. He opened the third cabinet to get the teapot; once again, it was not there. Just as Ryou was about to turn to pull a chair from the table, he heard footsteps that came to a stop behind him. "I think you pushed the teapot back again."

Bakura's smirk was invisible to the boy. _I know._ "Did I?" He reached up around the boy and pulled the teapot down. "Sorry." He could sense Ryou's nervousness. _This is too much fun._ With the voice—as well as all traces of his conscience—suppressed deep within himself, he felt no guilt for his shameless advance. _Ryou will be easier than Marik. He has a while before he really _needs_ to get ready for school. But that wouldn't be any fun. Cats prefer to toy with their prey before closing in for the kill. And I have the perfect game to play._ He leaned against the doorframe and watched Ryou boil the water. Though he had done so countless times before, spectating was suddenly entertaining.

This early in the morning, Ryou was still very groggy, and he was having trouble filling the teapot without dumping it. When he finally managed to get it to the stove, he stood there for a long moment, just staring down at the knobs, as though he was as lost as Bakura had been. Eventually, he regained his bearings and turned the burner on.

"Tired?" chuckled Bakura.

"I'll be fine once I've drunk my tea."

"You'd be better if you ate."

"I know." Ryou opened another cabinet and pulled out a box Bakura did not recall having ever seen.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh, this? It's green tea. Would you like some?" The boy pulled out two teabags and a second cup at his companion's nod.

Seeing that Ryou was about to pour the water, Bakura stepped in. "Let me. I'd rather you not spill it on yourself."

"I'm not going to!" Despite his protest, Ryou relinquished the teapot and watched Bakura carefully fill both of their cups. "Thank you."

The two sat at the table with their tea, each—unbeknownst to the other—thinking of the night before.

_Will he tell me?_

_Should I tell him?_

_If he doesn't, then maybe this thing with Marik is just some sort of game._

_If I don't, he won't know, and he'll be that much more hopeful._

_If he does, then maybe this thing with Marik is serious._

_If I do, he _will_ know, and he'll lose all hope. But then…I _could_ confuse him…_ Bakura set his cup down. "Um…Ryou?"

_Here it comes._ The boy took another sip of his tea before answering. "Yes?"

The expectancy on Ryou's face settled Bakura's mind. _He already knows._ "I sent Marik away last night so I could talk to you."

Ryou choked. That was the _last_ thing he had expected to hear. "You what?"

Bakura continued without answering. "But you were asleep. Marik came back here around midnight to return my jacket."

Now slightly more awake, the boy realized Bakura was no longer wearing his striped shirt. He opened his mouth to comment, but shut it just as quickly.

"Yes?"

"I…it won't come out right."

"We've been over this."

"They…they…they look good," he finally said, motioning to Bakura's new clothes. "They suit you." _They fit well, they DO draw focus to your eyes_, the other half of his mind continued. "They look _really_ good." Almost as soon as he'd said it, Ryou clapped a hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to tell him that. "I-I told you it wouldn't come out right!" he lied quickly.

_On the contrary, I believe it came out perfectly._ "I understand how you meant it." _I understand EXACTLY how you meant it._ "And thank you. Now, as I was saying, Marik came back. I…invited him in. You have a right to be angry with me for not asking your permission."

"No…no, it's fine. It's your house, too."

For a moment, Bakura was speechless. "My house? I…thought…"

"As long as you're living here, it's your house too."

Yet another astounding show of generosity. "I still should have told you. But I didn't want to wake you. We watched a movie. And…" Bakura paused in a false hesitation. He watched Ryou's face, waiting for realization to strike him. Eventually, it came. Bakura spoke in an incredulous tone. "You already know, don't you?"

The boy nodded slowly. "I…I woke up sometime around two this morning. I think it was because I heard someone scream. I—"

"That was Marik. I…_surprised_ him. It was funny. Sorry; continue."

"I came downstairs to get some tea, but when I noticed the television was on, I walked over to the living room. I never went in, though. I just…heard."

"So you already know we're…?" Bakura gave a believable sigh. "I would rather you have heard it from me first." _Though in that case, you may not have heard it at all._ He studied Ryou's face; it had gone blank. Even his aura was almost impossible to read. All Bakura could tell for certain was that the boy could barely make sense of his own thoughts.

Ryou didn't know what to think. There Bakura was, acting no differently than he had since they'd started talking on Saturday—including the subtle advances. Yet he was also admitting that he and Marik were really _together_. It didn't make any sense. _I'm so confused._ He finished his tea in silence.

"Leave it," said Bakura as Ryou stood. "I'll wash it out. You should get ready for school."

"It's only six. I have plenty of time left. Are you almost done with yours?"

"Really, Ryou, just let me do it." Bakura knew he wouldn't win this battle, so he drained the last of his tea and handed the boy his cup.

With everything clean and put in its proper place, the boy hurried back up to his room, locking the door behind himself. He _never_ locked the door. Ryou dropped onto his bed. "I'm so confused," he murmured. He shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. There was no logic behind Bakura's actions. _Maybe not by your standards. But it might make perfect sense to him._ But what sense could it possibly make? Were the mixed signals _deliberate_? Was Bakura _trying_ to confuse him? It seemed too juvenile for him. Ryou slid off his bed and got dressed. _No. Bakura said he was with Marik. He's too mature to be playing. He doesn't like me. That's settled. I'll make myself stop liking _him._ I have to._ There was a laugh in his mind._ But you know you can't._ He glanced at the clock. _6:15_. There was still a lot of time before he needed to head for school. Just for something to do, he pulled out his homework and began looking over it. "Okay…okay…okay…huh?" A single question on his science homework had remained unanswered. " '________ was a popular gemstone in ancient Egyptian art and jewelry._' Why did I leave that…? That would be…what _would_ that be?" Ryou shuffled through his bookbag for his science folder. "What happened to…?" Then he remembered helping Yugi and Joey during a break in the video game the night before. "Oh no…" He'd left his notes there. "Nonononono…" Science was his first class, and the assignment was due the moment he walked in the door. He read and reread the question, trying to figure out the answer. Finally, the two key words struck him. _Ancient Egyptian._ If anyone would know the name of a popular gemstone, the Thief King would. Paper in hand, Ryou hurried down the stairs. During the time he'd been looking through his homework and trying to find his notes, the clock had hit seven. "Bakura!"

"Yes?" He stepped out of the kitchen.

"I need help on a question. I left my notes at Yugi's."

"I doubt I can help you. What class?"

"Science. But the question has to do with Egypt."

"I'll take a look." Bakura followed Ryou to the kitchen table and leaned over him just as he had when retrieving the teapot.

_I mustn't react_, Ryou thought, forcing himself to remain relaxed.

Bakura repressed a chuckle. _The kid's trying to resist. Good. Maybe he WON'T be as easy as Marik. It's too bad for him that his aura is so clear._ He read the paper over Ryou, his chin almost on the boy's shoulder. ________ was a popular gemstone in ancient Egyptian art and jewelry._

"Do you need me to read it?"

"What?" _I told Marik I can't read. I probably shouldn't risk giving them two different stories._ "Oh, yes." He waited patiently as the boy read it. He turned his face toward Ryou's.

He was so close. _No. It's nothing._ Ryou did not turn away, but forced himself to calmly return his companion's gaze.

Bakura's eyes shone with an unreadable delight. "There were a couple," he said, turning their minds back to the question. "Is there anything about the color?"

"Um…no."

"That's a bit of a problem. But I suppose I saw a lot of lapis lazuli. It was semi-precious, so it wasn't as hard to get a hold of as, say, _rubies_." He paused, allowing Ryou to make the intended connection, before finishing. "It was the most common stone. I'd say that's probably the one that's being referred to."

"Thank you," said the boy. He picked up the paper and backed right into Bakura.

_Heheh. WHOOPS._ "Sorry," he said, standing aside to let him out.

"It's all right," replied Ryou, who hurried out of the room and back up the stairs.

Bakura watched until he disappeared into his room. He chuckled. _You're blushing. I know what you're trying to do, Ryou, but it won't work. I already know._

The boy nearly tripped coming down the stairs. "I'm going to be late," he muttered.

"You'll be fine."

"I'm already ten minutes behind usual! Good-bye, Bakura!" Even in his rush, Ryou took the time to lock the door behind himself.

Bakura smirked after him. "This should be _fun_."

* * *

Yea! It's up! I just finished this on the bus back from District Honor Choir auditions! Hope you liked it!

Kris Phantom, I came up with an explanation about the reading thing, just for you. ; ) Thanks for reviewing!

And a big thanks to everyone else, too!

I've got the next seven chapters planned, so I should be able to put them up a lot faster than usual. But it'll be my luck to get awful writers' block or something... Wish for the best!

(By the way, I've got a new fic, Tender Angst. It's actually just going to be a couple of one-shots. I meant to get it up on the second, but it wasn't done, and I only had time to upload one document anyway, so of course, I chose chapter thirteen of Evil Angel. Anyway, if you would, read and review it. Warning: "Tender" is kind of depressing. But not as sad as my Linkin Park Trilogy... Please read!)


	15. Get Out Your Notes

**Chapter Fifteen  
**_**Get Out Your Notes**_

Ryou was moving as quickly as he could manage without breaking into a run. _I'm going to be late for school. I've _never_ been late for school. I've been gone, yes, but _never_ late._ He was getting panicky: one of his two biggest school-related fears was being tardy. The other, of course, was turning his homework in late or incomplete. Keeping his pace, he pulled the science paper from his backpack. " '_Rubies__ was a popular gemstone in ancient Egyptian art and jewelry._' What?" He looked at it again, more closely. Surely enough, he'd written _rubies_ instead of _lapis lazuli_. The boy shook his head as his mind drifted to the source of the mistake. _No!_ His other mind replied with a laughing, _Yes!_ Ryou walked straight into something very solid; he staggered back, dazed. "Huh?" A sign with a turtle painted on it stood before him.

"Good-bye, Grandpa!"

"Good-bye, Yugi! Have a good day at school!"

_Yugi._ The name vaguely registered in Ryou's head. _Yugi…Yugi!_ "Yugi!"

"Huh?" Yugi turned around. "Oh, hi Bakura! How are you to—"

"Where are my notes? I left them here last night! I need them for today! I'm going to be so late…"

For a moment, Yugi stood there, obviously confused. "Oh…oh! Your notes! They're up in my room. I meant to grab them on my way out. And you're not going to be late. I'm leaving five minutes earlier than usual. Why did you think you would be late?"

A breath of relief escaped Ryou's lips. "I…I left the house really late this morning. I really do need my notes, though." He followed his friend into the game shop.

"Wait here. I'll be right back."

"All right."

"Hello, Bakura! Been attacked by any of those girls yet?"

"Wha…?!" He whipped around to see Grandpa looking up at him with a mischievous grin. "Oh. I'm sorry, I'm very jumpy today. No, I haven't. Do you have a pencil on hand?"

Grandpa pulled one out of his overalls and handed it to Ryou.

"Thank you." The boy set his homework on the counter, erased _rubies_, and replaced it with _lapis lazuli_. "Um…I'm having a really bad day so far. What does that say?" he asked, pointing to his new answer.

"Lapis lazuli. Why?"

"Because I…I'd written _rubies_ for some reason, and I wanted to be sure I'd gotten it right this time."

Yugi jumped the last step and came to a stumbling halt between his grandfather and Ryou. "Here they are!"

"Thank you." Ryou took the notebook and opened it to yesterday's notes, making sure that Bakura had been correct. " '_Lapis lazuli—deep blue semiprecious stone containing lazurite. Use: jewelry._' All right." He slipped the notebook into his bookbag.

There was a knock on the door of the shop, accompanied by Tea's voice calling, "Yugi! Hurry up!" She stepped back as the two boys walked out. "Hi, Bakura!"

"Hello, Tea." Like the day before, Ryou walked with Yugi and Tea to school.

At the door to their science class, Ryou and Yugi split from Tea, who waved and walked on. The two dug out their homework and handed it to the teacher, who stood just inside the doorframe, preventing anyone from sneaking in to finish the paper with the help of their already-present classmates. The boys took their respective seats—Yugi in front of Joey's empty desk and beside Tristan's, Ryou behind Tristan's and beside Joey's—and waited for class to start.

Joey and Tristan dashed through the door at the last moment, barely making it to their seats before the tardy bell rang.

Their teacher walked up to the front of the classroom and began speaking. "Get out your notes so we can continue on the composition of gemstones. First off, can anyone name a stone we have _not_ yet covered?" Apparently he thought he had exhausted all the obvious possibilities.

Automatically, Ryou said, "Rubies." He fought off the urge to shake his head. _It's a perfectly normal answer. And we haven't covered them._

"Very good. Now, can anyone _besides_ Bakura give me another? No? Then we'll start with rubies." He wrote on the board. _Ruby—red precious stone that is a form of corundum. Use: jewelry, manufacture of watches, precision instruments. _"Does anyone know exactly what _kind_ of precision instruments rubies are…"

Ryou could not keep his mind on taking notes. His pencil was still to his paper, but no words were coming from it. Instead, there was a face. A smirking face, framed by long white hair. Slowly, a body grew from the neck, clothed in a long tunic and sandals. The boy was reaching for his red pen when a whisper beside him broke the trance.

"Hey, Bakura, whatcha doin'?" Joey leaned across the aisle, craning his neck to get a look at the picture that covered the bottom half of Ryou's paper.

Soon, both Yugi and Tristan were also turned in their seats and staring with awe.

"Who is that?" Yugi asked softly.

"It's…" He couldn't very well say 'Bakura'. But what else could he tell them? "I…I think it's me. I had a dream last night," he continued, trying to infuse the story with as much truth as possible. "I was sort of omniscient, and I—" Ryou rephrased when he noticed that he'd lost them at 'omniscient'. "Sometimes, I could hear other people's thoughts, but not in the sense of being psychic. I just…knew. I was in Egypt, and—"

"Wheeler! Taylor! Muto! Stop distracting Bakura and keep up with the notes!"

"Yes sir!" they replied before turning back around and scrawling down what was on the board, competing with the eraser that was going over the words.

Without his friends' prying stares, Ryou slipped back into his world. He flipped the page, and was just beginning the first line of another head when he was again interrupted.

"—popular, semi-precious blue gemstone, Bakura?"

His head snapped up. He hadn't realized that the class had been answering questions over the notes up and down the rows. Before he could stop it, one word escaped his lips. "Lazuli."

"Yes, very good. But there is more to the answer. _What_ lazuli?"

"Lapis lazuli. But 'lazuli' is an abbreviation that originated in the mid-17th century." _How do I know that?_ he wondered vaguely.

The teacher paused, slightly dumbstruck. "Oh…thank you for…that fact."

Ryou nodded and looked down, a slight flush on his cheeks. He didn't like showing up teachers, even if he _did_ know more than them.

"Mr. Taylor, what is the base-compound of a ruby?"

With the teacher's attention gone from him, Ryou looked back at the line he had begun to draw on the back side of his notes. It was _supposed_ to be Bakura again, but that picture had disappeared from his mind. Now came another character from his dream the night before, one which had not spoken, but has still played an invaluable role in the events that had taken place. A long muzzle ended in two ears that stuck above a dark forelock. Her sleek body took form on the page. She displayed a dignity not common among even the proudest of men. Her single visible eye stared at him from beneath her forelock, shining with an unspeakable intelligence one would not expect to see in an animal. Ryou shaded her carefully, but no matter what he did, her coat never seemed to be dark enough, never seemed to gleam just the way it should.

"…test over gemstone composition on Friday! Don't forget to do your assignment, pages—" The teacher's voice was drowned out by the bell. "—in your textbook! I'll see you in here tomorrow! Good-bye!"

_What?!_ It was only then that Ryou realized just how far he had slipped into his realm of fantasy. _Oh no… Nonononono…_ He had no idea what the assignment was. None whatsoever. _And_ he was still completely unpacked, after the bell had rung. Ryou was close to the point of a mental breakdown when a voice interrupted his panic.

"Let me help you." Above him—though not by much—stood Yugi, who began to sweep Ryou's pens and pencils into the pencil bag that lay beside them.

"Thank you," Ryou whispered, sliding his notes into his science folder and slipping out from behind his desk. With Yugi's help, he had everything packed up less than a minute after the bell had rung. "Thank you," he said again. He strode out of the room, his friend right beside him. "Did you get down all the notes?"

A sheepish grin spread across Yugi's face. "No. I got distracted by your drawing."

"So did I," Ryou muttered, angry with himself. _How am I going to do my assignment without the notes? Speaking of…_ "What was the assignment, Yugi?"

"Huh? Oh, pages 78 and 79. I think it's all just multiple choice, and the answers for it _should_ all be in the book." Yugi shrugged. "It can't be _too_ hard. That drawing is really good."

"That…oh. Thank you."

"What made you start it in the middle of class?"

"Um…something in the lecture, I suppose. One of the gemstones."

"Do you draw much?"

Ryou shook his head and turned into his math classroom.

"It looks like you do," Yugi continued as he walked on down the hall. "I'll see you later!"

With a vague wave, Ryou took his seat. He had pulled out his pencil bag, math folder, and calculator before he felt the gaze that had locked onto him. He looked up under his lashes to see the girl who sat in front of him turned around, watching him intently. "Hello?"

Color rose to her cheeks and she averted her eyes. "I'm sorry. I…I wanted to say that I'm sorry for chasing you around yesterday. It was rude, and…well…_creepy_. I hope you'll forgive me."

"Thank…thank you for apologizing. I don't hold it against you. You weren't the only one, after all."

Surprise flitted across her face, replaced with a grateful smile. "My name is Naomi Misora," she said as she held a hand out to him. "I'd be careful of the other girls if I were you, especially Akira. She's been all spacey since last night, and she keeps saying you've got some sort of magical powers." Naomi laughed. "She's finally lost it. She was saying that she cornered you at the arcade, and next she knew, she was in an alley somewhere downtown, walking around aimlessly."

_Walking? That sounds like Marik's doing._

"Who was that guy you were walking with when you passed the park?"

"Guy?"

"Or was it a girl? I couldn't tell."

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." _She's sure asking a lot of questions for someone who wanted to apologize for stalking me_, he thought.

"Last night, when you walked by the park. Who were you walking with?"

"Um…" _Bakura said that he and Marik went by the park on their way back home._

"And was it you or that person who ran from us? We lost whoever that was, and we couldn't decide. It _looked_ like you, except the skin was kind of dark. So?"

_He also said that he gave Marik his jacket so he could act as a decoy._ Ryou swallowed nervously. _How do I explain Marik? I can't very well say he's an Egyptian tombkeeper. And I certainly can't say that it was actually my newly-embodied alter ego and his boyfriend that she saw last night. What can I— _His thoughts were interrupted by the tardy bell.

To his relief, Naomi turned to face the front.

"All right, class, today we're going to study matrices. Get out your notes!" The teacher paused to allow everyone to pull out a sheet of paper. "All right, first off, can anyone define 'matrix'?"

"What's that got to do with matrices?" Naomi asked, her voice far too loud for the small classroom.

Ryou could easily have told her—and anyone else who had the same question in mind—but he really didn't feel like drawing attention to himself. What he _did_ feel like drawing was another scene from his dream.

" 'Matrices' is the plural form of 'matrix', Miss Misora. The definition? Anyone? No? All right." He turned his back and spoke each word as he wrote it. "_Matrix—a rectangular array of mathematical elements, e.g. the coefficients of linear equations, whose rows and columns can be combined with those of other arrays to solve problems._ Let's work a few practice problems together. So, give me…"

Ryou's attention dropped to the blank sheet of paper before him. So many images rose to the top of his mind that he couldn't choose which one to begin with. He only had fifty-two and a half minutes to get all of them on paper, and he wasn't sure how long some of them would remain so crystal clear. So he began with the less important moments in the beginning of his dream: Bakura returning after taking Marik home, Bakura grabbing the rope around Lazuli's muzzle as they began to leave, the astonishment on Bakura's face when Ryou admitted why he was reluctant to remain with him. Then came the next, more eventful pictures, in the middle of the dream: Bakura bursting into laughter as he threw an arm around Ryou's shoulders, their riddle-ridden conversation, the almost undetectable flash of desire in Bakura's eyes. There class ended, but that did not stop his drawing. Throughout the rest of the day, he continued drawing his way through the dream, as often pulling out the ones he had already finished to make a change or touch-up as putting down the next image of the story. By homeroom, he had filled three pages, front and back and he was ready for the final major scene. But, after looking around himself and seeing all the people who could look on, he dropped his pencil and stuffed the drawings he already had away. He couldn't draw himself leaning against Bakura as Bakura leaned against Lazuli. He couldn't draw himself and Bakura _kissing_. Not here. Perhaps not anywhere. Ryou jumped from his seat the moment the bell rang, and was about to hurry out the door when he was stopped by the three voices behind him.

"Hey, Bakura!" they called.

Yugi's voice broke from the other two. "Joey and Tristan are coming over to my house Thursday night so we can play _Resident Evil_ again. You wanna come too?"

"We're stayin' all night. Would your dad mind if you stayed over?" Joey actually seemed excited about having Ryou play with them.

"I…I suppose not. But why Thursday? Wouldn't it make more sense if it was on Friday? And don't we have a _test_ in science on Friday?"

Tristan shrugged. "Well, yeah…but I'm leaving town right after school on Friday, to see my sister and her brat."

"An' we can study for the test while we play. How about it, huh?"

It sounded good…but Ryou knew that no one of those three—except _maybe_ for Yugi—would take his eyes off the television to look over the science notes. "Really?"

"Nah," Joey replied with a laugh. "But you can study if you want. After all, we can't really have four of us playin' at once, can we?"

"No…all right. But I really don't have to go, if I would just end up bothering you by—"

"_NO!!!_" the three cried out.

"You won't be bothering us!" said Yugi. His voice was sincere. "_Please_ come!"

Ryou blinked in surprise. "Okay."

* * *

Not by best chapter, not my favorite, but it came out fast, and I'm SOO sorry for this taking so long!


	16. HER Name Is Lazuli

**Chapter Sixteen  
**_**HER Name Is Lazuli**_

Ryou unlocked his front door, grateful that Bakura had left it locked, or at least locked it behind himself as he left. Or behind Marik as _he_ entered. From the separate laughs that rose above the noise of the television, he concluded that the latter was true. "Bakura!" he called.

"Yeah?" Bakura stepped out of the living room.

"Just making sure it was you guys."

_Uh-huh. Just making sure what we're doing, more like_, he thought as he gave a dark chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"It's…you thinking someone else might have gotten in here. One glance at me and they'd be stumbling out the door backward, afraid to turn their backs. You really don't need to worry, kid."

_Kid? Is that what he calls me when he talks to Marik?_ "You might've gone out."

Bakura paused. "I'll give you that."

Marik, who had apparently been standing behind Bakura for the past couple of minutes, moved out into the hall and came to a stop beside him. "Hi, Ryou," he said with a slight wave.

"Um…hi." Ryou returned the gesture with even less enthusiasm. He fought the sadness that threatened to show itself when Bakura put an arm around Marik's waist and drew him a little closer; the faint blush that rose to Marik's face and Bakura's responding smirk sent a brief wave of fury through him. But it wasn't toward Marik, as he had expected it to be…because Marik wasn't the one showing off. In fact, he seemed to be trying to _hide_—or at the very least, _downplay_—the relationship. It seemed like he was trying really hard _not_ to make Ryou jealous. Bakura, on the other hand, was being as shamelessly forward as he could manage without kissing Marik right then and there. But the wave was small, and the sadness returned before the fury could manifest itself. _This morning was nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm just trying to find _any_ insignificant sign that it's not hopeless. But it is! I just can't accept the truth._ His voice spoke. _Don't give up. Keep watching. Keep waiting. Bakura and Marik won't last. You know that. And when Marik's gone, you'll still be here, waiting._ Ryou nodded in agreement.

"Did I say something?"

The boy snapped to attention. He fought to keep a blank expression, but it flickered when he met Bakura's cocked eyebrow and dim smirk. "Um…I…"

Bakura shrugged. "Forget about it." _I know you won't, though. I can sense it. You're mad at me. But you're also sad. You're CONFUSED. So I am succeeding in my endeavor. Marik's turn is almost over. A couple weeks, maybe less. Soon, Ryou. Soon._ His eyes flashed imperceptibly.

Or so he thought. But Ryou's desperate, searching eyes caught it. His desperate, hopeful mind connected the expression to one of his drawings. "O-okay. I'm going to get a glass of water and then go upstairs to do my homework. That's…that's where I'll be…in case you…if you need…just…"

"All right," Bakura interrupted, saving him the embarrassment of stumbling through his words any longer.

The boy ducked into the kitchen, glad for at least that much mercy.

_Soon._

"I have to go."

"Huh?"

"I have to go," Marik repeated. "So I can check on the museum." He walked to the kitchen and peered in. "Good-bye, Ryou."

Ryou turned far enough to see him. "Bye." He watched as Marik started for the front door. Just as he was about to disappear from view, Bakura stepped in front of him; Ryou watched in horror as Bakura kissed him. Ryou could have sworn that those wicked ruby eyes had been locked onto him the entire time, glowing with a sinister delight. The anger flared within him again.

_Love you too, kid._ Bakura pulled away from Marik and opened the door for him. "Bye."

With a final wave, Marik hurried down the sidewalk.

Ryou pulled the drawings from his backpack and shuffled through them, searching for one in particular. _There._ The expression on dream Bakura's face was identical to the one that had been on _real_ Bakura's face.

"What's that?"

The boy jumped and twisted around to see real Bakura, who had been glancing over his shoulder. His face flushed and he shuffled his "notes" in an attempt to hide every sketch that would give him away. "They're…"

Bakura grabbed them from Ryou's hands and looked at the first one. It was the horse, the one that had never quite reached its potential luster. Recognition crossed his face. _Where did he see this? Where did _I_ see this?_ "This…this is an amazing drawing. Did you do it?"

"Yeah."

_Wow._ He almost looked through the rest, but decided against it. _Not yet. He can have his secret for now._ "When did you do this?"

"In science. I…I did all of them during class today. I didn't take _any_ notes." Ryou didn't even bother with lying; he fully expected Bakura to look at the rest of the pictures no matter what he said to in an attempt to stop him.

"The horse…it's familiar. Where did you see it?"

Ryou's blush deepened. "In…in…um…my…" He looked down and muttered, "In my dream."

_I figured as much._ "Oh? Tell me about it. The horse," he added quickly, not wanting to alert the boy that he was prying him open.

"Well, it's not actually this color. It's closer to blue, and shiny. It…"

The picture leapt into color and motion in Bakura's mind. The dark, glistening black coat that was almost blue in the sunlight. That was how it had earned its name.

"Its name is—"

"Lazuli. _Her_ name is Lazuli." Yes. She had been his most trusted companion in his first life. "She was the best horse a thief could have had. I was proud to call her mine. And I think that she was just as proud to call _me_ hers. She was smart. Smarter than any animal I've known before or since."

Ryou blinked. "You know her?"

"Of course. Your dream is comprised partly of my memories. Lazuli is one of them."

"Right. I forgot." _How much more can he figure out from the picture?_

_So my horse has been in his dreams. Obviously _I_ am. But what does he dream _about_? It's "not quite" about ancient Egypt. What did he mean? That he didn't think the characters were exactly _ancient_ Egyptian? Or Egyptian at all? Perhaps. He's dreaming about me, and my horse. But there's got to be more. I bet it's all in his drawings. I can wait._ Bakura held the papers out and gave a slight smile as Ryou took them. _Why are you so surprised, kid? Did you not believe that I would give them back?_ He repressed a chuckle. _Probably not. I can't blame you._ "It's a really good drawing. It has to be if it resembles her so closely that I recognized her after five thousand years." He reached around Ryou into the cabinet the boy had left open when Marik said good-bye and pulled down a glass, which he filled with water. "You came in here for this?" he asked, holding it out.

The boy took it. "Thank you. I'll be upstairs with my homework." He hurried upstairs.

_You need to learn to control your aura. You're so terrified. You're so hopeful. You're so funny. I may not be able to resist much longer. Marik's turn may be cut short. VERY short._ He couldn't stop the dark laugh from coming out louder than it should have.

Ryou could hear it floating up the stairs, just before he entered his bedroom. "Huh?" His head turned on its own, and he caught a brief glimpse of Bakura walking back into the living room. _What's so funny?_ He pulled out his homework. It took him several moments to realize he didn't have the slightest clue how to do it. "Now I know what Joey feels like…" The blank paper sat before him, and the final picture returned. _Can I risk it?_ Before he could answer the question, his pencil was to the paper and multiple angles of the scene appeared in panels. There was a final page with the shove and riding toward Memphis before Ryou put the pictures he had drawn in order. He hadn't noticed it at first, but after the first two sketches he had done in math class, the rest were drawn in a style he had never been particularly familiar with nor ever been particularly fond of. But as he looked through them, he couldn't resist filling in the words that had been spoken. He pushed the small stack of papers aside and looked at the clock. "Wha—?!" It had struck nine without his knowing, and he hadn't even begun his homework. "Oh no…" he moaned. "Nonononono… " _Yesyesyesyesyes_, his other half replied in a joking tone. Ryou dumped everything onto his desk and began working. Though he finished the science assignment within a few minutes, he was struggling to teach himself how to work the matrices. But thirty minutes of effort finally presented him with the answers, and another forty-five presented him with a finished assignment. "I hope everything is correct," the boy mumbled, his lips barely moving and his eyelids heavy. He laid his head on the desk, intending to get up after a moment or so. Against his will, he fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

This one came out in two days! By the way, any _Death Note_ fans reading this? Did you catch the reference in the last chapter?


	17. You Care

**Chapter Seventeen  
**_**You Care**_

Bakura peered into Ryou's room. He'd been fairly sure that he'd heard the long, slow breathing pattern that marked the boy's sleep, but he knew that it wasn't unlikely that it was no more than a nap. Once sure that the kid was truly sleeping, he entered, careful to avoid making any unnecessary noise. He couldn't hold back a faint smile at the sight of the peaceful expression on Ryou's face. _They must be here somewhere…ah._ Bakura reached out and lifted the stack of drawings from the desk. He stared for a moment, not quite sure what to think. The front page showed Ryou sitting in the sand, thinking. He turned to the next page; it was there that it became difficult to decipher. After a minute or so of trying to make sense of all the panels and words, he figured out how they were arranged and continued. _So THIS is what's been going through your mind at night, huh? But this can't be it. Nothing is mentioned about my eyes. Of course, I have a couple more pages to…to…_ Bakura's thoughts trailed off as he came to the one picture he really hadn't at least _half_-expected to find. _THIS? THIS is what has been going through your mind? No wonder I'm upsetting you so badly. I'm almost sorry enough to feel guilty for what I'm doing. ALMOST. Heheh…this is kind of…of…is there a better word than this? No. It's really kind of…_cute_. Like something a small child might do. Only, of course, much more skillfully and constructively done. I wonder if you intend on ever showing it to me._ The kiss was drawn in several panels showing different angles of the same few moments. _You dream about kissing me. Or rather, about ME kissing YOU._

Bakura set the papers back where they had been before and dragged out his corner chair so he could sit beside the boy. He knew he was taking a risk in conducting this experiment, but he figured that it was far worth it. "Hey, kid."

"Rubies…" Ryou murmured in response.

"What are you dreaming about?"

"Rubies…"

_I figured as much._ Had it been any other night, Bakura might have continued to pry, trying to dig into Ryou's fantasy world. But tonight he had better questions to ask. "I'm not sure how much you know about me, but I figure that asking you is worth a try. How old am I? Physically," he added, trying to avoid any sarcastic answer he himself might have given.

"Not very…rubies…"

"An exact number?" Bakura jumped when Ryou stirred, but relaxed when the boy settled his head back against his arms.

"Seventeen…rubies…"

_So Marik had me a year older than I really am. I wonder if I should tell him…_

"Rubies…"

It was just too easy. When he was asleep, Ryou's shield was gone. If he knew the answer, he would give it. Bakura knew it was wrong, but he didn't care. _Why should I? It's not like I have a conscience._ "You like me, don't you?"

"Yes…rubies…"

A smirk spread across Bakura's face. "Why won't you just tell me? You've noticed the signs, but doubted them. You know that Marik's just a game. You know I like you more."

"Yes…rubies…"

Bakura reached out and touched the boy's hair, gently pulling his fingers through the strands. "I really wish you would say it. You know that you'd win if it was between you and him. Why are you trying to convince me that you aren't interested?"

"I…rubies…" There was a long pause, in which Ryou took a few off-beat breaths, before he continued. "I'm…_scared_…"

He couldn't help it. Bakura laughed aloud, startling the boy, but not enough to wake him. "You're _scared_? _Why_? What have I done to make you fear being closer to me?"

"It's not you…I don't fear you…rubies…"

"Then what _do_ you fear?"

"_Losing_ you…"

That hadn't been the first answer that had popped into Bakura's mind. But after he pondered it, it made sense. Ryou had lost his mother and sister in a car accident; he'd moved away from his father; until he met Yugi and Co., he really hadn't had many friends. _Of course he's afraid of losing me. I'm the only person he can rely on who is always around. If something were to go wrong between us, he would be alone again. Only this time, he would be _completely_ alone. I understand._ "I don't intend on going anywhere."

"I can't believe that…I _won't_ believe that…rubies…"

"I thought you trusted me."

"You can't trust a thief…rubies…"

Bakura chuckled. _True._ "Then who _can_ you trust?"

It took several moments for the boy to respond. When he finally did, the answer stunned Bakura beyond words. "Nobody…"

He had never thought that Ryou could mistrust _everyone_. He had imagined that the boy had at least one person he could fully believe in. It had never struck Bakura just how alone in the world Ryou felt he was. _Whoever Ryou fell in love with would be very lucky, and a fool not to love him back._ Bakura felt a sharp pang of guilt. _This is wrong._ He tried to force the feeling back. _So what? What do I care?_ The peace on Ryou's face was flecked with the sorrow he was trying so hard to hide; it hurt Bakura just to see it. _NO IT DOESN'T! _A faint murmur came in reply; its words were incomprehensible, but Bakura had a fair idea of what they were. _Don't deny it, Bakura. You're feeling a pain you haven't known since you lost your family._ He drowned out the murmur. _It's just my imagination. I'm only _imagining_ that I can feel his pain. But I DON'T!_ He continued his questioning. "Are you angry at me?"

"Yes…"

"Why?" He thought he knew, but the boy never ceased to amaze him with his reasoning.

"You embarrassed him…you stared at me…rubies…"

Bakura smirked. _You caught that?_

"I'm _confused_…why are you…"

_That's mine to know and yours to figure out._ He chuckled softly.

Ryou sighed and turned his head to rest on his other cheek.

"I don't think so, kid." Bakura picked up his chair and moved so he could continue to watch the boy's face. The hurt returned at this second sight of it. _It's just an illusion._ He forced back the murmur that tried to respond. _I just got rid of you. I'm not about to let you come back to harass me._ The voice subsided, but the pain refused to take its leave. "Fine," he said to himself. "His expression _does_ hurt me a little…_only_ a little. Just because he's been so kind to me, and I am deliberately hurting him for my own amusement, and…" Only then did he realize he was thinking aloud, and by then it was too late.

"You're…" The half-conscious question was clear in Ryou's voice. The anguish of this half-conscious revelation was clear on his face.

Bakura groaned. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"Your own amusement…"

It was apparent that Ryou was slowly coming out of his dream; Bakura knew that he needed to leave _now_ if he wanted enough time to make sure he'd left no trace of his presence. But something rooted him to the spot, overpowering his dim, half-present fear of being caught. Whatever held him was secretly _hoping_ for Ryou to open his eyes and see him. He debated over whether or not he should continue talking. When his body refused to allow him to stand Bakura said, "I don't mean to hurt you _permanently_. Just enough to make life a little more interesting."

"More interesting…" The tone of the boy's voice gave the heavy implication that he meant something more along the lines of, _"More interesting? Are you trying to say that constantly being around Marik and me is _boring_?"_

Bakura picked up on Ryou's implied statement with no difficulty. "I get bored very easily," he offered in response.

"Bored very easily…rubies…"

_He's going back to sleep_, thought Bakura. A wave of relief, tainted by a dim disappointment, washed over him. There was time for at least a few more invasive inquiries. One immediately came to mind, one he had never really considered. "Why do you like me, Ryou? I…I'm not good for you at all. I'm _dangerous_. I know you know that. Why do you ignore your instincts?"

"I don't…rubies…"

"What?"

"You're not dangerous…rubies…almost to her home…"

"Whose home?" _Seraf's. If he's dreaming about 'rubies', that that'll be it. Maybe he'll tell me who she is once he gets there._

"You're not dangerous…" the boy replied.

"How not?"

"You care…rubies…"

_Don't think too much of it. I'm not quite so sure of it as you are, kid. I may like you, but that doesn't mean that I _care_ about you._ The voice tried to intrude again, and Bakura imagined its words once more. _Liar. You even TOLD Marik that you care._ Even though the words had come entirely from his own mind, he felt the need to defend himself. _I care for him in a _brotherly_ sense. Ryou is talking about caring on a FAR deeper level._ He reached out and fingered a lock of the boy's hair. "Think what you will, kid. I'm not as good as you think I am."

Ryou nudged Bakura's hand with his head, encouraging his touch.

A dark smile stole across Bakura's face. He readily gave in and tenderly stroked the boy's head. Bakura knew it was wrong, _so_ wrong, but he couldn't help himself. "You're just too innocent," he murmured, making no effort to stay quiet or be heard.

"Rubies…"

_So innocent._ Bakura rested his chin on the desk, close enough to Ryou's face to feel the boy's breath. An urge stronger than any he'd felt in a long while arose. _He wouldn't know. Not that it would matter if he DID._ The secret desire for Ryou to awaken surfaced again. Bakura leaned over the boy's arm until their noses touched. A short bout of conscience almost convinced him to withdraw, but his most sinister self refused to deny him the indulgence of this impulse. He pressed his lips against Ryou's. A thrill shot through him, stronger than any he had gotten by kissing Marik. Even in his slumber, the boy evoked twice as much passion as even the most willing of those before him. Bakura's eyes closed; an emotion he could not immediately place crept through him. As the moment drug on, the emotion began to speak its names: care, tenderness, need…_love_. The last ripped Bakura from Ryou and flung him from his chair. He heard the boy moan and watched in terror as he stirred. The insane desire for Ryou to awaken and find him there had vanished. He jumped to his feet and darted out the door, careful not to slam it behind himself.

Ryou half-opened his eyes and saw—through a heavy haze of fatigue—the door click shut. He lifted his head and touched his tingling lips. "Bakura?" he asked of the darkness that surrounded him. As the responding silence lengthened, he succumbed to sleep once more.

On his bed, Bakura sat perfectly still, not moving until a faint, _"Rubies…"_ drifted through the wall. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and lay back. _Well_, he thought, _the ceiling doesn't seem to be intent upon putting on a show tonight. Guess I'll do a little more experimenting to see if I don't sleep because I can't or simply because I don't need to._ Bakura shut his eyes and allowed his mind to drift. He slipped into Ryou's dream world through the lingering bond their minds shared.

* * *

Sorry, sorry, sorry!!! I finished the chapter a couple weeks ago...in my notebook. My laptop—where about a third of the chapter was saved—was having problems. It was fixed last week, but this was musical week, and... Yeah, sorry for the long wait. Next chapter's coming up soon! I really like it so far, so I hope you will too!

Thanks to everyone who has been consistently reviewing this!


	18. HE LIKES YOU

**Chapter Eighteen  
**_**HE LIKES YOU**_

Bakura held his arms up to Ryou. "What's the matter? You've never had a problem getting off Lazuli before! I won't drop you! She's really not even tall enough for you to get a mark if you _were_ to fall. Now come on!"

"But there's no one to catch me if—"

"You are not going to fall off backward just from swinging your leg over! Stop being silly!"

The boy shook his head. Without the reassurance of Marik standing on the horse's other side, Ryou couldn't bring himself to do it.

"You're such a child," Bakura muttered under his breath. "Try not to scream." He pulled the boy's leg.

Despite his companion's—brief—warning, Ryou gave a startled yelp as he tumbled off Lazuli's back into Bakura's outstretched arms. He tilted his head back to see the other's half-irritated, half-amused face.

"I said I wouldn't drop you." His relatively stern expression held for a few more seconds before it was replaced with his usual smirk. Bakura helped Ryou to stand upright before offering his hand. "Come on."

Ryou allowed his companion to pull him through the night to the front of the house to which the stable Lazuli was now tied to belonged. He watched as Bakura knocked in a cartouche-like pattern.

About halfway through, the door swung in to reveal a fine young woman—older than the two before her, but not by much. She was clad in a linen tunic and wore her dark hair in short plaits. She was strikingly small: the top of her head was level to Bakura's chin. Her black eyes swept over Bakura and Ryou, coming to rest on their interlocked fingers. A smirk not unlike Bakura's spread across her lips.

Before she could open her mouth, Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think about commenting until I have explained, Seraf."

She stepped aside, allowing them to enter under her sparkling gaze.

"I assume you have no company?"

"None. I assume _you_ would like to stay here tonight?" Seraf hardly allowed him time to nod before stepping up to his companion, her face nearly touching his. "Who is my other guest?"

"I'm Ryou," the boy replied as he shrank back a little. The woman's interest was making him uncomfortable.

"When did you pick this one up?" Seraf asked. She leaned in to counter Ryou's retreat.

Bakura yanked the boy back. "Stop it!"

The woman withdrew. "I'm sorry. It's just that—"

"Does it matter which two rooms we use?" Seraf's responding expression was not encouraging. _If you try to play one of your games, Seraf…_

"I only have one."

"That's a lie!"

"No it's not. All but my room and the one beside it caught fire just a few days ago."

"How convenient."

"Would you like to see?"

_Damn. Seraf never offers proof she doesn't have. She's serious._ He groaned. "Fine. Ryou, go on up. It's the room farthest from the stairs."

Ryou turned, but saw no doors. "But—"

"_Up_ the stairs, kid."

"Oh."

Once the boy was safely out of earshot, Bakura glanced down at Seraf. "I suppose you have already figured out why I'm here."

She nodded. "I would say I'm sorry about the inconvenience of the room situation, but I'm not. How did you chance by him? Was he just a lucky—"

"I told you to allow me to explain before commenting. Do not interrupt." Bakura took a deep breath. "I was staying with a band. They have accumulated a small harem of boys Ryou's age. Ryou himself had been caught sneaking past the camp not long before I was asked to at least look inside the tent. When I did, only Ryou and another boy—Marik—remained. Marik was trying to make Ryou stay down like he was supposed to. That was funny. Ryou caught my eye, but he'd also caught that of the head of the band, so my tent ended up betting burned to the ground and I somehow ended up with Ryou _and_ Marik. I returned Marik to his father, there was an incident, and I came here to resolve my problem."

"I can see how he caught your eye. Have you kissed him? Of course you've kissed him. How many times? And—"

"Three, not that the number matters."

"That's all?"

"The third time is the 'incident' I mentioned. I…I really could have hurt him!"

Seraf tilted her head. "Hurt him? How? And why do you even care?"

"I don't know why! But you _do_ know how!"

"He likes you, you know."

"Yes! I do! That's a very large part of my problem!"

"Hush," she said with a finger to her lips. "So you're trying to make yourself resist him? Fine. But separating yourself from him will do you no good. You must desensitize yourself, become so used to his presence that there is no temptation."

_Easier said than done._ Just the thought of temptation was enough to drag Bakura's darker side, the one that couldn't care less about how badly Ryou could be hurt, close to the surface. Its thoughts were of nothing but the boy, of nothing but the warmth of their touching skin and of fast, shallow breaths that were occasionally broken by a sharp gasp or a long moan. Bakura shook his head, trying to banish this other self. _I took him from Geb so he would be spared from all that._ But he knew that that wasn't exactly the truth. He had taken Ryou because he didn't want the boy to be broken from the outside in. He had taken Ryou in hope that with a little bit of coaxing and a lot of warning, the boy would give in to him freely. At the time, Bakura had not considered whether or not he could handle the boy if everything were to miraculously turn out the way he wanted. He hadn't taken into account the boy's fragile heart and delicate soul, both of which Ryou had handed to him in six short words: _"I want to stay with you."_ Bakura had known nothing about the boy except that he was beautiful and had no home. He hadn't known that over the course of just two weeks, Ryou's true beauty would sparkle under the dazzling light of the sun and glow in the soft light of the moon as he insisted that, _"You're not dangerous!"_ and _"I'm not afraid of you."_ He hadn't thought that his simple plan could become so complicated.

"Bakura?"

"Huh?" He blinked a few times as he pulled out of his contemplation.

Seraf thrust two tunics into his arms. "You two look awful. You both need to bathe, but I don't have much water left so for now I'll have to settle with making you change. If either of you wants anything to eat, you don't need to ask. You know where I keep my food."

"I…thank you, Seraf. I'm sorry for being so short with you earlier. It's just that there's a lot—"

"I understand," she interrupted with a smile. "Give Ryou one of those tunics."

Bakura halted at the base of the stairs. "It's good to see you again, Seraf."

She looked over her shoulder. "You, too, Bakura."

He nodded and hurried on up. At the door, he stopped to listen, vaguely curious as to what Ryou had been up to for the for the short length of time he'd been alone.

While Bakura had been downstairs allowing himself to finally acknowledge the true magnitude of his problem, Ryou had been sitting on the bed, contemplating his own side of the situation. _Is it just because he saved me? No. Of course it's not. That may be how it started, but that's not what fed it. He's been trying so hard to restrain himself, all for my sake. I just wish Bakura could see that he's not bad._ The boy sighed. That was all he wanted. If Bakura would just trust himself, everything else would fall into place. But no matter what Ryou did or said, Bakura would back away with the same excuse: _"I'm not as good as you think I am."_ What would it take to convince him to give in? "Why are you so—" He cut off as the door opened and Bakura stepped in. Ryou smiled and waved.

Bakura could just barely keep from raising an eyebrow. _You're not fooling anyone._ "Hey, kid." He tossed the boy one of the tunics. "Sorry about sending you up here alone. Were you able to entertain yourself?"

Ryou nodded. "I was fine. What were you and Seraf talking about? I heard you yell."

"She…I…We…" _Damn. I can't think of a lie._ After a few more moments, he groaned and said, "You. Seraf…she's only four or five floods older than us. She's no less a kid than we are. She can be juvenile at times, and…well, she enjoys teasing me. She meant no harm, but…she went too far. I'm sorry you had to hear it."

_He's very sorry today._ "It's fine. I'm just curious. So…what did she say that made you so mad?"

"Um…" Bakura felt his face grow hot. _What is this? Since when do I BLUSH? WHY am I blushing? All he asked was what Seraf said._ "She asked me how many times I've kissed you."

Ryou's heartbeat picked up a little, but he managed to keep a straight face. "What did you say?"

"Three. She's almost impossible to lie to. As I said, she meant no harm by it. It's really her way of saying she approves."

"Approves?" _Is he actually saying—_

Bakura reddened further. _Why am I embarrassed? It's not like I've kept any secrets. He knows I want him in more ways than one._ "Ah…um…well…yes. Yes, approves. She doesn't think you're just something anyone could pick up off the street. Anyway…you…you know why we're here, and I'm very frustrated about the rooms, so I apologize in advance for being irritable. Seraf wants us to put on these tunics. I'm going to change in her room."

"No you're not!" came her voice before her door could be heard closing.

Bakura growled. "Seraf, you…you…" He stopped himself at the sight of Ryou and sighed. "Are you hungry?"

The boy nodded.

"Good. I'll wait outside while you change, then show you where Seraf keeps her food." He stepped outside…and almost ran into Seraf, who had been standing right outside the door.

"Why are you so afraid?" she whispered.

"I already told you," he replied angrily.

"Not really. All you told me was that you could have hurt him during your _incident_. You never said exactly how, though I suppose I _do_ have a fairly good idea. If your _how_ is the same as mine, then I've already told you all you need to know: _HE LIKES YOU_. You can't hurt him if you give him a choice, and I think he made up his mind a long time ago. You're hurting him more just by—" She cut off as the door opened to reveal Ryou in his clean tunic. "Hi," Seraf greeted.

The boy smiled in response. "Thank you for this."

She shrugged. "It's nothing. You look much better now." At this comment, her glance flitted over Bakura—whose eyes narrowed in return—before beckoning the younger to follow her. "I'll show you where the food is while Bakura puts his on."

Ryou faltered. "I…I…can we wait?"

The other turned his back before Seraf could see his face flush. "Go on down with her, kid. I won't take long." Before Ryou could protest further, he stepped back into the room and leaned against the wall. _I can't believe this. Just because Seraf is here, I'm suddenly unable to hear or say anything relating to me and Ryou without turning red._

"I want to wait for him!"

He couldn't help but chuckle softly at the passionate edge to Ryou's voice. It was one of the few things that was holding Bakura back. He couldn't bring himself to risk breaking the boy's spirit.

"Okay! Please don't look at me like that. I'm on your side of this, you know."

For a moment, Bakura couldn't move. _Is this how you're going to play the game tonight?_ He threw off his old tunic, pulled on the new one, and was back in the hall before Seraf could say anything more. He glared into Seraf's malevolently sparkling eyes.

Ryou looked from one to the other, knowing he was missing something, but not quite knowing what. He looked back to Bakura for an answer, but all he got was a smirk and a hand wrapped around his wrist.

"Come on. Let's go eat." He tried to keep ahead of Ryou, but the boy tried even harder to keep up. Eventually, Bakura gave in and wrapped his arm around the boy's waist.

This time it was Ryou's face that flushed. He looked up to smile, but dropped his gaze when he saw his companion's frustration. Not wishing to irritate him further, Ryou began to slip out of the other's grip.

Bakura didn't allow it. He turned the boy to face him. Their noses touched; he was able to look directly into Ryou's eyes. "You should know better," he murmured so Seraf—who had not yet noticed they had stopped—couldn't hear. "I'm not angry. You make this…_difficult_. But I'm not angry." Their breaths mingled in the little space that was between them.

"Are you two coming?"

Before Ryou even thought to react, Bakura had spun him out and dragged him forward by his wrist, closing more than half the space between Seraf and themselves by the time the woman had turned far enough to see them.

"You've become quite impatient, Seraf," Bakura said in an attempt to keep her mind occupied. "What happened?"

"You left. I didn't have to be so lax about everything. Now come on!"

Ryou sighed. The first time Bakura had allowed himself to give in a little since the night Marik left, and Seraf had interrupted it. He watched her a little resentfully as she turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs. _This must be what Bakura meant. She must had seen or heard something. If she approves, then why is she doing this?_ Ryou looked up at Bakura through his lashes; the latter had come to a stop just before he reached the stairwell. He seemed to be searching for something ahead of them. "Why—"

Bakura laid a finger on the boy's lips. "She's already gone to the storeroom," he whispered. "But she has very good ears. Try to stay quiet." He drew Ryou to himself once more, this time with no interference. He pressed his lips to Ryou's and allowed his eyes to close. _Two weeks is too long._ He fought back the dark side as it tried to take over. Abstaining from touching the boy had put a bit more nobility into his blood. He drew away before the nobility could run out, but enough had gone that he couldn't let the boy go. He could feel the tension between them, the shared desire for more. _I shouldn't have…I KNEW this would happen…It's too late now…_ His lips brushed against Ryou's as a smirk spread across his face. He kissed him again. "Mmm…"

A light giggle floated up the stairs.

Bakura's head whipped to look down, but nobody was present at the landing. _Damn you, woman! You let me hear you. You let HIM hear you. If you approve of him, why do you insist on interrupting us?_ He sighed and withdrew the hand that had cupped around the boy's cheek. He dropped the arm he'd wrapped around the boy's waist. "Sorry," Bakura murmured before holding out his hand. "Let's go eat."

Ryou followed in a daze. Every part of his body that had come into contact with Bakura was tingling as though he had just been struck by lightning. There was still energy sparking from their interlocked fingers, trying to pass into Bakura but instead being reflected back into Ryou. The boy was buzzing with enough energy for both of them. He was heady with the exhilaration. His high fell from the sky and shattered into a thousand pieces when he and Bakura entered the small dining room.

"Took you long enough," Seraf commented. "What do you boys want?"

"Food," Bakura replied.

"Very funny."

"What do you have?"

She stepped aside to allow him into the storeroom. "You, too, Ryou. Get whatever you want."

Bakura came out with two loaves of bread and several fruits with which he was unfamiliar. He glanced up at Seraf with more than a hint of apprehension.

"They're safe," she assured him. "I'll take the first bite myself, so you can see my reaction to—"

"I believe you, Seraf." He tossed Ryou a loaf of bread and a couple of the fruits. "You prefer not to eat meat, right?"

The boy bit into a fruit and nodded. "Thank you," he said to both of them.

They both smiled in response—their smirks almost identical—before joining him at the table.

"You were going to lock us in the storeroom, weren't you?" Bakura asked through a mouthful of his bread.

Seraf's eyes flashed mischievously. "Maybe."

"Did you intend on knocking a hole through the door to watch us?"

"Who said anything about watching?"

"You were thinking it."

"I was thinking about listening. I'm sure you could help me to fill in what my eyes miss."

"I don't think he'd like that."

"So?"

Ryou sighed. _It's like they don't even realize that I'm sitting right in front of them._

"And besides, your imagination couldn't fill in _all_ the details."

"I could get a fair amount of them."

"But not the important ones."

"Such as…?"

"The tension in the air, my face, his face, the feel of warm skin on warm skin…"

"Well damn. Those are the _good_ parts of sex."

Ryou choked on the bite of fruit he had just begun to swallow as exactly what they were talking about finally sank in. He gazed in wonder as the two in front of him burst into a fit of hysterical laughter.

When she finally caught her breath, Seraf reached out and patted Ryou's head. "I'm just joking, kid. I'm surprised I had to say it straight before you realized it."

"He's a lot more innocent than we are, Seraf. A _lot_ more innocent than we are." Bakura watched the boy's face and ears flare a bright crimson; he noticed that Seraf was watching as well. _She's testing you, kid._ By the sparkle in her eyes, Bakura could tell that Ryou had passed. _You DO have some sense of self-preservation._

Ryou caught Bakura's eyes for a moment before looking down at the final crust of bread in his hands. _Was that on purpose? Is he testing me? What did he hope to gain? My opinion on…_THAT_? That doesn't really seem like something Bakura would do._ He took a quick glance at Seraf, who was also staring at him. _But _she_ would._

_He figured it out already_, Bakura thought at Ryou's fleeting sweep of the woman beside him._ Smart kid. If he could get that on his own, then he'll realize that I encouraged her this time._

_But if it was Seraf's idea, then why…he just said that she irritates him when she does that…unless he wanted to know, too…_ The boy repressed a sigh. His reaction hadn't been entirely valid. The comment had taken him by surprise, and just because he wasn't comfortable with _discussing_ THAT didn't mean that he was uncomfortable with actually _doing_… He couldn't entirely hold back the groan. _I don't _know_ what I think of _doing_ THAT._ Ryou could hardly even imagine what it would be like. The only thing that came to mind was how he felt when Bakura would kiss him. He could only imagine that THAT would be like that, only times a thousand or more. Just the idea of sensations that intense sent his head spinning into nowhere.

Bakura knew the faraway look that was in Ryou's eyes. It was the same one he had after being kissed. Bakura could only guess at why the boy was wearing that expression; his guesses were very close to the truth. He saw Seraf's smirk slowly broaden. _Damn you, woman._ "Hey, kid, you okay?"

The boy shook his head a few times, as if awakening from a slumber. "Yeah…I'm just tired, I guess." He finished the last of his food before standing. "I'm going to sleep," Ryou announced. He left the room before his companions could nod in response.

The moment Ryou disappeared from view, Bakura glared at Seraf. "Why?"

"You helped."

"_Why?_"

"Because I knew you wouldn't bring it up on your own. What do you make of his reaction?"

"That he has _some_ common sense."

"I think he's unsure."

Bakura sighed. "I _know_. That's what worries me. He won't be able to decide until it's been decided for him. I don't want to do that to him. He doesn't deserve that."

"But maybe it's what he _needs_. Sometimes we need things we don't deserve…and deserve things we don't need. Kind of like you and I deserve execution, but we certainly don't need it. Ryou needs someone to make this decision for him, even though he deserves better. Ryou needs you, even though he deserves someone better. He deserves to be treated like a prince, but he doesn't need it. He deserves—"

"I get your point, Seraf. He deserves to be loved by someone who can take care of him, but he needs to be loved by _me_. He deserves someone as perfect as himself, but he needs _me_."

"Do you love him?"

Bakura choked. "I…I…I really don't know. I _want_ him. He knows that."

"Anyone who has seen the way you touch him knows _that_," Seraf said. "And I don't just mean when you're kissing him—yes, I saw that, you _know_ I saw that. Even when you were just holding his hand it was blatantly obvious how much you wanted to hold him closer."

His gaze dropped to the table.

"And how much he wanted you to."

* * *

Hooray! The next chapter. This isn't exactly what I'd planned, but if I'd continued it would have been three or four times the length of a normal chapter. As things stand, it's already twice as long as usual. But I really like it anyway. Look forward to your reviews! By the way, I got the idea for the last chapter from _lovenyami_, so thanks for that!


	19. You're Going To Crash

**Chapter Nineteen**

_**You're Going To Crash**_

Bakura woke up all at once. He opened his eyes to the slowly graying sky. It wasn't really even dawn yet. He sat up and allowed his thoughts to sort themselves out. He'd seen it all from the moment Ryou had first entered his 'not quite' ancient Egyptian dream world. _In one day you went from hating me to being vaguely infatuated. In four days you have gone from hating me to being wholly in love._ Bakura sighed. _And you've seen right through me without even realizing it. The only difference between me and the me in your head is our honesty._ "All you want is for me to admit it to your face…" That much Bakura had been able to gather from the tempest of emotions he'd spent the night in. "You don't even _care_ that I like Marik like _that_, as long as I like _you_ more. Well, you _care_, but—"

A faint knock could be heard.

Bakura jumped off his bed and looked out the window. There stood Marik in front of the door. _Ra damn it, Marik, why…no, this is good. I need a distraction._ He hurried down and opened the door to a very disheveled version of the boy. After he'd shut the door behind him, Bakura asked, "What happened?" He followed the other into the kitchen and watched as he filled the teapot with water from the faucet.

"Long night. Ryou won't mind, will he?" Marik asked, holding the up the teapot.

"I don't think so."

"Good." He set it down and turned on the burner.

"What do you mean by 'long night'? And how do you know how to do that?"

"Huh? Oh, the tea? I watched Ryou on Sunday. It's not that hard to pick up."

Bakura repressed a growl. Marik didn't know about the lesson Ryou had given _him_ later that same night. "Long night?" he repeated.

"Well…" Marik's face flushed. "I…why can't you leave it at that?!"

"Fine. Ra." _You don't have to tell me. Ryou isn't the only person I still share a mind-bond with._ And before Marik could retaliate, Bakura used it to search for the answer.

_Get out!_

_Tell me what happened._

_Fine!_

Bakura withdrew. "So?"

"I…um…I almost got mugged."

Something stirred within Bakura. Guilt. Because of his angry monologue the day before. "Are you all right? Did they take anything? Who was it?"

Marik held his hands up. "It's fine! I got away without getting hurt and I still have everything."

"_Who was it?_" Bakura growled. For some reason he felt a need to deal out a rightful punishment. _Because he's MINE. And no one messes with my property._

"I took care of them, all right? They won't be bothering anybody else for a long time to come." He turned as the teapot began to whistle and switched it to another burner.

"How long is 'a long time to come'?"

"Until someone with a Millennium item who cares finds them. So perhaps forever." Despite his attempt to remain emotionless, a dark grin found its way to his face.

"And you didn't invite _me_?"

Marik poured water into a cup and placed a teabag he had gotten from a box labeled 'COFFEE' into it. "I thought you made a promise to Ryou that would keep you from joining. Two, actually. And besides, you weren't close enough to have been much help."

"I suppose so. What kind of tea is that?"

The other shrugged. "Apparently Ryou calls it his 'coffee'. Other than that, I have no idea. Do you want some? There must be three dozen bags of it. He's not going to miss two."

"You're right," Bakura said as he poured some water and placed one of the bags in it. "He'll notice right away."

It took Marik a minute to get what Bakura was saying. "That's not what I meant!"

"I know." Bakura pulled Marik to the table and sat him down before taking the seat beside him. "I'm assuming that's why you didn't come back after checking on the museum?"

"Sort of. They had me check a translation, and _Ra_ it was bad. I spent a few hours with them explaining what they'd done wrong while translating the entire thing from scratch. By the time I'd finished it was dinnertime and I figured I shouldn't come here and take Ryou's food without being invited to do so—" He caught Bakura's glance at the cups of tea. "Give me a break! After I ate, I was walking back here, and I got cornered. I tried to get away, but eventually it was obvious that I was going to have to fight them. That was more difficult than I had expected it to be. They were smart enough to figure out that 'the glowing stick thingy' was what was causing everyone to pass out, so they lunged for it. One of them actually managed to rip it from my hand the moment I pulled it out of my belt."

"Told you so."

"Shut up! I managed to get it back without too much trouble, but that's what really tipped them off. Imagine me running around a maze of alleys while trying to focus on sending the minds of guys twice my size to the Shadow Realm as they're chasing me."

Bakura snorted…while he was drinking his tea. He coughed into his hand, which he wiped on his blue jacket. _How did that even get in here?_

"Karma."

"Whatever. You were saying that as if you meant it to be funny. You have to admit that from my viewpoint, it's hilarious."

"Well, if you consider it from _my_ viewpoint, it's traumatizing. Hey…stop laughing!"

With some effort, Bakura controlled his snickering. "I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

"_What?_"

Bakura slid into Marik's seat and slipped an arm around his waist. "Will kissing you make it all better?"

"You're not funny." Despite his words, Marik leaned in closer and allowed his breathing to fall into a steady rhythm to match Bakura's. "Ra," he murmured, his lips moving against the other's.

Bakura chuckled and returned with, "Love you too, kid."

"Huh?"

"Is Marik here already?" Ryou stepped—closer to stumbled—into the room. He had obviously not awakened quite the way Bakura had. He gave no indication of his reaction to the intertwined pair before him.

Marik pushed Bakura away even as the latter tried to pull him nearer. He shot him a glare before turning to Ryou with an apologetic expression. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No! I'm just…surprised."

"All right, well…I hope you don't mind, but I already boiled some water for tea, if that's what you're looking for."

"Do I…? No, that's fine. Great, really." Ryou pulled down the 'COFFEE' box. His brow furrowed as he looked in. "You guys took my coffee?"

"Told you so," Bakura muttered into Marik's ear. He simply grinned at the glare he received.

"Yeah, um, sorry. I just—"

"Do you like it?"

Marik paused, slightly bewildered. "Yeah…it's better than any kind of tea I've had before. Why?" He caught a slight smile tugging at Ryou's lips. "Is it poisoned?"

"Wha…? No! What made you think that?"

"You looked a little evil there for a second. Why did you ask if I like the tea?"

"Because…well…I brewed it myself."

"Wow. It's really good. What's in it?"

Ryou's cheeks showed a faint blush of pleasure. He spoke with a hint of pride. "Besides the tea leaves, there's ginseng, guarana, dehydrated peaches, and vanilla. You guys probably won't want to sit around in the house today."

"Why not?" the two asked in unison.

"Guarana basically acts as caffeine, and I put a lot in there. That's why the bags are so small. You should probably try to be back here around four." He answered their questioning glance. "You're going to crash. You should only let it steep for a minute or so. Like I said, I put in a lot of guarana."

"How bad are we going to crash?" Marik asked.

"You'll want to sleep." Ryou kept his back to them and turned to leave.

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to drink your tea?"

"I've got it with me. I need to check over my homework before I leave."

"You're not going to eat?"

"No."

"When was the last time you had breakfast?"

The boy shrugged and hurried out of the room.

Bakura could have sworn that he'd seen _two_ teabags in Ryou's cup. _Odd. He's warning us about crashing because we let it steep too long. Is he TRYING to make himself pass out? Well…not all that unlikely._ "He's gone," he said before pressing his lips against Marik's.

Marik pushed him away. "You're very rude."

"Since when do you care?"

"I've spent a couple of days around Ryou. He has that effect. You should be kinder to him."

The only answer Bakura could muster was a vague, "Meh." He choked on a swallow of his tea. "_Damn_ it!" he spluttered. "What the _hell_ is wrong with this Ra damned tea?!"

"Karma."

"_Shut up!_"

Marik shoved Bakura back into his own chair. "Stop yelling at me!"

Bakura really wasn't in the mood to fight—a miracle. Instead of pursuing the argument as he might have otherwise, he pulled Marik to himself and kissed him. He didn't allow the other to escape…not that that really required much effort.

Even before it was obvious who would win, Marik had relaxed.

_You're just too easy._ Bakura decided to enjoy the moment while it lasted; Marik was easy, but he wasn't _that_ easy.

The boy was so…vulnerable. Bakura would never have thought it at first glance, but in relationships, Marik was really almost as innocent as Ryou. The only thing that made him any more experienced was the few days he had been _with_ Bakura. At sixteen years old, he was undoubtedly in his first relationship. That knowledge gave Bakura a sense of power: Marik had no idea what to expect. Bakura could do whatever he wanted and Marik would believe it was a normal part of dating. _Heh…DATING. That's funny. ME, Thief King Bakura, DATING a tombkeeper. No…Marik may think we are, but this is NOT dating. Just another name on my list. My exceptionally LONG list._

Bakura relinquished his hold as Marik drew away. _No need to have him accusing me of molestation._ "What do you want to do today?"

Marik laid back and looked up at his partner. "I'm tired."

"You heard Ryou."

"I was up all night."

"And you think the tea cares?" He folded his arms across Marik's chest. "I can wait for the tea to kick in."

For a while, it seemed as though Marik was going to fall asleep after all. But just as his body began to relax, the guarana hit and he bolted up with a start. "What do you want to do today?"

"I believe I asked you the same thing earlier. Aside from that point, my desire goes better unspoken."

"Why?"

"You might be scared off."

"You might be surprised."

Bakura pushed Marik back against the counter and leaned over him. _I can feel your heart pounding._ "I don't think I will be." He stepped away and started for the front door. A smirk crossed his lips as Marik hurried to catch up. "Where would you like to go?"

:::

Bakura lay stretched across the couch behind Marik, who—as predicted—had passed out at about four. It was just crossing his mind how vulnerable the boy was asleep when he heard a voice in the hall.

"Bakura? Marik?"

Bakura laid his head back and pushed his hair over his eyes so he could watch Ryou without the boy's knowing.

Ryou walked into the living room. "Bakura? Mar—" His voice cut off when his eyes reached the couch. The expression on his face melted from indifference to a deep sadness. His whisper was barely audible. "Why?" Ryou disappeared back into the hall.

Just as Bakura's mind had wandered back to Marik's defenselessness and all the ways he could take advantage of it, there were several heavy _thud_s. He jumped up from the couch—startling Marik from his nap—and dashed to the hall, where he found Ryou lying at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious. Bakura bent down and shook him, murmuring the boy's name over and over.

"What happened?"

Bakura looked over his shoulder at Marik, who had woken up quite suddenly when he saw Ryou lying on the floor. "I think he passed out on the way to his bedroom." He lifted the boy into his arms and stood. "He may as well not know about it." As he walked up the stairs, Bakura was vaguely aware that Marik was following him. _No doubt wanting to make sure nothing happens. Not like anything COULD happen. Then again…_ Bakura suppressed a chuckle at the memory of the night before. He laid Ryou down on the bed and gazed down for a moment. "Well, I suppose we'd better leave and let him sleep."

* * *

I am exceptionally sorry for the wait! I've been really freaking busy over the past few months and I got stuck at the very end. Here's the next installment, hope it was somewhat worth the wait and I'm am _SOO_ sorry!!!


	20. Flirting

**Chapter Twenty  
****_Flirting_**

Bakura leaned against the doorframe of Ryou's bedroom, watching curiously as the boy added a set of pajamas to the usual contents of his backpack. "So what are you doing again?"

"I'm staying over at Yugi's with Joey and Tristan," the boy replied, "playing video games and studying gemstones."

"When will you be home?"

Ryou stood and turned. "Tomorrow afternoon, I guess." He walked past Bakura and took the stairs two at a time. He was running early this morning, but he didn't really care. An arm wrapped around his waist just before he stumbled over the final step.

Bakura didn't let go until he was sure that Ryou was steady. "Did you have any tea this morning?" He grabbed Ryou's wrist when the boy started toward the door. "You've got plenty of time. Drink some tea." He dragged him into the kitchen and sat him down.

"I'm fine," Ryou protested weakly.

"You are not," replied Bakura. "Why are you trying to get out of here so—" He was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Stay there." Bakura went to the front door and opened it for his boyfriend.

Marik smiled and stepped over the threshold. "Good morning. Is Ryou still asleep?"

"No," Bakura answered as he began to walk back to the kitchen. "I was actually just about to start tea. Would you…like…some? RYOU! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, Bakura!" came the boy's voice before the front door clicked shut.

Marik shot Bakura a puzzled glance before starting the tea. Once he'd gotten the water boiling, he asked, "What's he doing?"

The other shook his head and dropped into a chair. "Being silly. And after school he's going to stay overnight with his friends." Bakura rested his head on the table. "I don't understand him sometimes."

"I do."

He lifted his head. "Oh? Do explain."

"He likes you."

"I know."

"Then what don't you understand?"

Bakura waved the question away. "Forget about it." The teapot began to whistle. "Could you get me a bag of green tea?"

"Sure." Marik opened the cabinet. After a moment of staring blankly into it, he looked back to Bakura. "Um…where's the tea?"

"What do you mean, where's the tea? It's in the cabinet."

"No it isn't. Come look."

With a huff, Bakura obliged. It turned out that Marik was right: the tea cabinet was completely empty. _When did this happen? Ryou certainly couldn't have carried them all…COULD he have?_ As he considered it, the theory seemed more plausible. He and Marik had been…_busy_ last night. Ryou might have put all but the box of green tea in his bag while they were distracted. And then this morning, he could have taken the box before he ran out the door. "I think Ryou took all the tea."

"What for?"

"Like I said, he's staying at Yugi's house tonight."

"Why does he need _all_ of the tea?"

Bakura shrugged. "Ra if I know. Maybe it's some kind of…of…" He couldn't very well say _revenge_. He couldn't say _punishment_ or _retaliation_ either. Even though Marik knew that Ryou liked Bakura, he didn't know what Bakura had been doing to encourage it, and there was no need to clue him in. "Maybe he just doesn't want to leave it with us."

Marik didn't seem to be satisfied by this answer, but he didn't pursue the matter any further. "Well, there goes that. What do you want to do today?"

_That's a good question._ There really wasn't much he wanted to do beyond taking advantage of Marik. But… "I suppose I've been craving stealing."

The other frowned. "Haven't you promised Ryou that you _won't_ steal anything?"

"It was a temporary promise. And I'm having withdrawal." Bakura forced his hands to shake. "I've been hallucinating. I _have_ to steal something."

"Of course you do," Marik said as he rolled his eyes. There was a hint of an amused sparkle to them. "What is it you've been craving stealing?"

"Well…I'm thirsty. How about some energy drinks?"

With a shake of his head, Marik replied, "No. I may not know much, but I know that those are horrible for your health. I've never touched one and I never intend on touching one."

"Then how about some soda? I think there's one called…Mountain Dew? It's supposed to have about the same effects as an energy drink. And it comes in 24-packs." Bakura smirked. "Yes?"

"How do you intend on stealing a 24-pack of soda?"

"I'll think of something. Would you like to assist me, or shall I do this on my own?" _I wonder what kind of role I can come up with for you…_

Without a moment's hesitation, Marik gave his predictable response. "I want to go! Just…don't get us caught. I don't know that Ishizu would be very happy with me if I were to get arrested in Japan for stealing soda with my boyfriend."

Bakura pressed his lips to Marik's, catching him completely off guard. _Heh…this NEVER gets old._ "If you're so worried about getting caught, then perhaps you should start thinking about how we'll get in and out without anyone noticing. In case you haven't heard the stories, I've never really cared whether my victim knew or not."

"Well, it's not _that_ hard."

"You already know how?"

"Sort of, yes."

:::

Bakura stood in the background, carefully watching Marik as the boy spoke with a cashier. They had chosen a large, Americanized market, because Marik had claimed to know exactly how to steal from one. From where he was standing, Bakura could just make out the conversation.

Marik walked up to the cashier Bakura had noticed staring at him when they entered the store. Bakura choked down a chuckle as the cashier gave Marik a once-over. A particularly _slow_ once-over. Marik flashed him a provocative grin.

The guy returned it.

_Green light_, Bakura thought.

"Hello," Marik greeted.

"Hey," the cashier replied. Even from where he was standing, Bakura could make out the hunger in his eyes. "What can I do for you?"

_I can't believe our luck. Not only did we FIND a gay cashier, the guy likes Marik. This is just too easy._

"Well, I was wondering if you could tell me something about the cloth shopping bags." Marik leaned a little bit closer, as if to reinforce the point that he was flirting.

"Who am I addressing this information to?"

Bakura smirked. _"What's your name?" would have sufficed._

Without even skipping a beat, Marik replied with, "Rishid. From whom am I _receiving_ this information?" Marik's use of proper grammar was amusing. The boy forced a slight blush when the cashier pointed to his nametag. "I'm from Egypt. I can't read Japanese."

The cashier raised his eyebrows. "Is that right? The name's Yutaka. Egypt, huh? That's hot." He let that sink in for a second. "I mean, the desert and all. Where did you live?"

"Small town." Marik leaned even closer. "The shopping bags?"

A ravenous grin spread across Yutaka's lips. "What about them?"

"How strong are they?" Marik brushed his fingers against Yutaka's.

"What are you planning on putting in it?"

"Two 12-packs," Marik replied. He paused before adding, "Of soda."

Yutaka's eyes flashed.

_Marik's good at this. Why didn't ever flirt like that for ME?_

"That'd be _fine_."

Marik smiled. "Could I get one? I won't be able to carry them myself."

"How about I help you? I'm sure I can get someone to take my spot for a second." He sighed and got a cloth bag when Marik shook his head.

"Thank you, Yutaka."

"Check me out…I mean, check out with me when you get done, Rishid. I'll be waiting."

Marik nodded and flashed a come-and-get-me grin before walking away.

Bakura circled around and met him on the opposite side of the store. "Why don't you ever act like that for _me_?" he asked as he placed his hands on Marik's waist.

"Because," the boy replied, slipping out of his grip, "I never really needed to. And don't do that in public."

"Why not?" Bakura asked. He took a step closer and whispered into Marik's ear. "Are you _embarrassed_?"

The other's eyes widened a bit. "No, of course not. I just don't know what kind of laws there are in Japan about it. Us touching in public in Egypt would be _suicide_."

"Well let me tell you, Marik: in Japan, it's not." Before Marik could make any move to refuse, Bakura wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed him. A smirk spread across his lips as he felt the other relax after a moment. "Remember," he whispered, "you're _mine_." He took Marik's hand in a possessive grip before starting toward the drink aisle. "So, Marik," he began conversationally, "did you like that Yutaka?"

Marik choked. "Ra no! He was really creepy!"

"Am I any better?" He could feel the boy's nod against his shoulder. "I don't see how. After all, I _attacked_ you, remember?"

"But you've never just stared at me like I was your next meal."

"Haven't I? And perhaps I'm just biding my time. We've only been together for what, going on four days? I'm very patient."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" asked Marik.

"I just might be. Are you scared?"

"Not really, no."

Remembering something one of Ryou's American foreign-exchange classmates had once been quoting to his host-brother, Bakura leaned down and made a low guttural roar. "And now?"

The boy gave a slight giggle. "Terrified."

Bakura pressed their lips together. "Good. Now are we getting two 12-packs, or was that one of your flirting tactics?"

"Flirting. Besides, if he sees us later, he'll have a harder time proving that I told him part of the plan."

"I still don't understand the necessity of having the cloth shopping bag."

"Well, I _know_ that a plastic bag won't hold a 24-pack of soda, and the stuff you buy is put into a bag. This way, it won't be quite so obvious that we're stealing."

The few shopping trips of Ryou's he had paid attention to crossed Bakura's mind. "Wouldn't it be less obvious if you used one of those carts? You're going to look strange carrying soda in a bag."

"A cart won't work," Marik replied. "The point is that we have to be able to fit through a small space, and we won't be able to with a cart. I _will_ look a little strange, but there are lots of strange people in Japan. Just do as I say and we won't have any problems."

"You can hardly guarantee that, Marik. What if Yutaka were to get jealous?"

Marik gave a sort of huff. "Well I don't plan on him _seeing_ us. We're going to walk through the empty register on the other side, then pretend to be rowdy teenagers making a ridiculous bet."

A laugh escaped Bakura's throat. "Oh? And what is this bet?"

"That I can't make it between the wall and the outside scanner with the shopping bag."

Bakura smirked. "What do I get if you can't?"

"You get to put the Mountain Dew back here," replied Marik as he bent down and shoved a 24-pack of the soda into the bag, which was almost not big enough. He turned and started back toward the entrance of the store.

Not far from the front, there was a distinct call of, "Rishid!"

Marik dove into the nearest aisle and muttered, "Oh, Ra."

"Now what?" asked Bakura. "How do you plan on getting to the other side of the store without him noticing us again?"

"Rishid!" The voice was getting closer.

With an expression of mild terror in his eyes, Marik thrust the shopping bag into Bakura's hands and disappeared from the aisle just before Yutaka entered from the other side.

The cashier looked to Bakura, who was the only other person in the aisle. "Did you see a dark-skinned blonde guy come through here?"

_Ooh, this will be fun._ "You mean the pretty girl in the purple shirt with a gold chain on it?"

Yutaka frowned. "Yeah, sure. Did you see which way he went?"

"Why, did he do something wrong?"

"No. But he dropped this weird gold axe thing earlier," he said as he pulled the Millennium Rod out of his vest, "and I just wanted to make sure that it got returned."

Bakura just stared. _How in Ra's name…that was in Marik's belt loops…he couldn't have just DROPPED it…this Yutaka…_ There was no doubt in Bakura's mind that Yutaka had _stolen_ the Rod just to give Marik a reason to go back to him. _He's going to put me to shame_, Bakura thought with a slight smirk. _I can't have that._ He knew that there was only one easy solution to this, but he also knew that he had promised _not_ to. _Well, I'm not very good at keeping promises._ "I'm afraid that _I_ am going to have to return that to him, Yutaka." Before the cashier could respond, Bakura called upon the power of the Ring. Yutaka dropped to the floor; the Rod clattered beside him. Bakura picked it up and hurried off in the direction he had seen Marik run, vaguely wondering how illegal it was to use an ancient artifact to knock someone out for stealing**.**

* * *

Hahaha! So funny. Who knew Marik was such a good flirt? Read and review, then move on to the next chapters!


	21. Mountain Dew Me

**Chapter Twenty-One_  
_**_**Mountain Dew Me**_

Bakura locked the door behind himself and Marik when they returned to the house. "Well, that was fun," he said without sarcasm.

"What are you going to tell Ryou?"

"Why would I tell him?"

Marik rolled his eyes. "I thought you owed him that much. What if the police come knocking on his door and arrest him for stealing the Rod?"

An incredulous guffaw escaped Bakura's throat. "Never. Now," he said, changing the subject, "what do you suggest we do with all of this soda?"

"Drink it?"

"Well, let's make it a little more complicated than _that_."

"How so?"

Bakura gave him a wicked smirk. "How about another bet? I don't like losing, and you _forced_ me to lose our bet back at the store. I bet that I can drink _twice_ as many cans of this as you can."

"But what if I drink more than…" Marik did the math in his head. "More than eight cans? Then there won't be _enough_ for you to drink twice as many as I do. Then what?"

"Then I guess we'll make the bet a little bit easier for you to win. You win if I can't drink twice as many cans of Mountain Dew as you do, whether because I can't keep them down or because there aren't any more _for_ me to drink. Does that make this a little bit more fair?"

"But that would mean that if you were able to drink seventeen cans or more, then I couldn't drink enough!"

"Well, that's the tradeoff you have to make."

Marik was obviously desperate to appease Bakura. "How about a time limit, then? One hour?"

"Fair enough." Bakura looked at the clock on the wall, which read that it was already two o'clock. _Ra, when did that happen?_ Granted, they had taken the _long_ way home to lose anyone who might have possibly been sent after them, but he hadn't thought that the way was _that_ long. "Whoever has finished—not begun, but _finished_—the most cans by three o'clock will win." He ripped the box open, making certain that he tore right across the little white box covered in black lines of varying widths that he had never really understood, but which apparently let the store know that something was being stolen. "Cheers," said Bakura as he popped the tab off the first can. It was an expression he learned from Ryou's father. He poured the soda down his throat, finishing half the can in one gulp. "Marik, you'd better get started."

The boy held out his hand for a can of soda. "Mountain Dew me."

Bakura could barely choke back his laughter. "You probably shouldn't make that kind of an offer, Marik."

"What kind of an offer?" he demanded. "And how do I open this?"

The other took the can from Marik's hands, opened it, and handed it back.

"What kind of an offer?" the boy repeated.

With a smirk, Bakura shrugged. "Think about it for a while. You'll get it." He took another swig of his soda, finishing it. "Sixteen to go."

Marik made a face of mock terror before downing one can in a single swallow. After taking a deep breath, he grinned at his boyfriend, who was staring at him disbelievingly.

The other huffed. "See if I open another can for you."

"That isn't fair!"

"I never said that it would be."

:::

Fifteen minutes and four cans each—Marik had watched Bakura and managed to figure out how to pop the tabs—later, both were taking a break to quell their dizziness and nausea.

"This was a _terrible_ idea," moaned Marik.

"Not our brightest," Bakura agreed, holding a hand up to the side of his head, which was beginning to develop a dull ache. "While we're waiting for our stomachs—and various other parts of our bodies, I'm sure—to settle, why don't we set the conditions of our bet? I don't believe we ever got around to it. Well, what will _your_ bet be?"

Marik spent a moment considering. "If I win, you let me stay here for the rest of the weekend."

"Well, Ra, that was kind of _my_ bet. All right, if _I_ win, then you spend the weekend here…and tonight we stay in my room."

The boy's eyes widened. "Oh, Ra."

A smirk spread across Bakura's face. "Don't worry Marik. It's not as bad as what you think." He chuckled. "As long as what you're thinking is as bad as I believe it to be."

In response, Marik opened another can and polished it off before Bakura could think to do the same.

"Well aren't you crafty?" Bakura murmured before leaning forward and kissing Marik, at the same time opening a new can for himself. The touch lasted longer than their remaining forty-five minutes allowed, but neither really minded. "Mmm." Bakura pulled away. "That's an interesting flavor."

Marik blushed. His expression of mild embarrassment turned to a scowl as Bakura smirked and finished his can of Mountain Dew.

_Perhaps competition is not the strongest part of this…RELATIONSHIP. But it's certainly the most fun._ He watched as Marik finished another can in a single gulp. _I should probably step it up._

:::

Another, less fruitful, fifteen minutes passed. Marik had just finished his sixth can, and his moans had doubled. "I don't feel so well," he complained.

Bakura had managed to pull ahead by one can. "You know, Marik, you could actually win. You only have three more cans, and I have _ten_."

"I don't know about that. I feel _really_ sick."

A vague regret about not making a specific rule about having to keep the soda down crossed Bakura's mind. Despite this, he felt an uncharacteristic desire to be sportsmanlike. "It's just three cans, Marik. You can take that much more, can't you?"

The boy shook his head. "_No_. You win. I give up."

Bakura shrugged. "You still have thirty minutes to finish." Then he drank another can.

"I'm serious Bakura. You can stop now."

"I want to see how many I can drink in an hour."

"How can you still be drinking? You've had eight cans in thirty minutes!"

"Are you kidding me? I can drink more _wine_ in a shorter amount of time and not even get lightheaded. And besides, I have drink _at least_ fourteen cans to win the bet."

"Oh yeah…"

"Yeah."

While Marik watched in disbelief, Bakura finished the seventeen cans that guaranteed his victory.

Bakura suspected that this had partly to do with his shadow body, which could take more than the average human limits. "Seventeen cans in one hour. By the way Marik, I _won_."

His gulp sounded odd through the jitters that had begun about ten minutes earlier.

It was even worse for Bakura, who was reminded of the buzz he'd gotten the day before from the guarana tea…times ten. "Well, Marik, you have to uphold your honor with this bet, since the last one I won didn't quite turn out the way I intended." He held out his hand and closed it around the one that Marik tentatively laid in it. He all but _dragged_ the boy up the stairs and into the bedroom.

"Bakura, how bad is 'not as bad as I think'?"

Instead of answering, Bakura pulled Marik close to himself and kissed him deeply. It was the only sure way he knew to stop his caffeine-induced shakes: use up the energy. And this was a good way to use an _enormous_ amount of energy.

Of course, Marik didn't put up too much of a fight, despite his obvious terror at Bakura's aggressiveness.

_You may regret being so submissive, Marik._

But even as he was pushed down onto the bed, he didn't do a lot in the way of protest.

Bakura bent down over the boy and pressed his lips against the bone just behind Marik's ear. He followed it down to the base. He smirked at the soft response he was given. _Aren't you nicely receptive?_ He pulled back and kissed the boy on the lips.

"I…"

The two on the bed's heads whipped around to see Ryou standing in the doorway, his face finally betraying the hurt he'd managed to keep hidden for the past few days.

With a sigh, Bakura straightened up and closed his eyes. "I thought you were staying at Yugi's tonight."

"I was, but then Grandpa got sick, and…and…and I have a lot of homework." Ryou dashed out of the room, not even bothering to be gentle with the door.

Bakura's eyes opened only after the boy was gone. He couldn't bear to look into those shattered eyes: it brought his subdued conscience dangerously close to the surface.

Marik sat up and stared at the closed door. "Should I leave? He looked really upset."

"You don't mind?"

"No. I…well, I would like to be a friend to him, if it's possible at this point. Besides, it's his house." He slid off the bed. "You should probably talk to him, you know. Explain that it wasn't exactly what it looked like. I'll see you later." With a short backward glance, he walked out the door.

_But that's the problem, Marik. It WAS exactly what it looked like. Oh, Ra, that was BAD. I need tea._ He allowed himself a mirthless chuckle. _I'm sounding more like Ryou every day._ He got out of his room just in time to hear the telephone ring. He took the steps two at a time. If there was someone calling the _house_, it must be important.

By the time had made it to the hall, Marik was putting the receiver back on the wall, white-faced.

"Who was it?" asked Bakura.

"The museum. I, um, told them to forward any urgent calls here. I…I…hope Ryou doesn't mind."

"What's so urgent?"

The boy averted his eyes. "Ishizu wants me to go home. Something happened, and she wants me there to help deal with it."

"What happened?" Bakura persisted, admittedly a little anxious. After all, Marik was his, and there was something wrong.

"She didn't say. But she's bought me a plane ticket to Memphis. She wants me home as soon as possible."

"When does your plane leave?"

"At five. I have to go now. I should be back in a few days. In the meantime, you should straighten things out with Ryou. I don't want him to hate me for liking you too. _Please_ fix this."

All Bakura could do was nod in disbelief as the boy hurried out the door. _What a plot twist._ He entered the kitchen and made himself a cup of chamomile—the teabags had reappeared—and sat at the table, thinking as he sipped his tea. _I almost had SEX with Marik. What in Ra's name was I THINKING? This relationship has gone too far. If I don't break this off as soon as he returns, I'll be stuck. Marik is not my target. What am I supposed to say to Ryou after what he saw?_ Bakura groaned. This was a thousand times worse than the first night, when Ryou had caught him and Marik kissing in the backyard. Maybe a million. _How could he possibly still love me after this?_ Of course there was no doubt in Bakura's mind that the hurt stemmed entirely from Ryou's inexplicable love for him. He sighed. _I have to talk to him NOW, before his mind can do any more damage to this situation than it already has._ Bakura rose from his chair, knowing that whatever he did now would decide how his new life story would play itself out.

* * *

Review! Then hurry to the next chapter, my loyal readers!


	22. Evil Angel

**Chapter Twenty-Two  
**_**Evil Angel**_

Ryou ran straight into his room and locked the door behind himself. He couldn't let Bakura see this, couldn't give him the satisfaction of having made such an impact on his day. He could feel the tears welling in his eyes. _How could you? How could _I_ have believed that you actually _cared_ about me?_ The other voice made its appearance. _Maybe he does. You noticed the mountain of Mountain Dew cans on the floor. Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding._ Ryou tried to choke back the first sob to break through his shock. There was no misunderstanding the way Bakura had been looming over Marik, no possibility of misinterpreting the way he had kissed him. _He can _not_ hear me cry!_ The boy searched his room for a way to mask the sound; he eventually came upon the CD his younger cousin had sent him for his birthday. He put it into his CD player, cranked the volume, and pressed PLAY. His crying was drowned out by the bass. Ryou dropped into his desk chair and listened to the music—which matched his mood perfectly—not doing anything until a particular song caught his ear. At this one he pressed the REWIND button and listened to it again, paying much closer attention to the lyrics.

_Birds of a feather hold it together  
__Nothing but lies and crooked wings  
__I have the answer, spreading the cancer  
__You are the faith inside me_

Marik and Bakura were indeed birds of a feather. Both liars, both thieves, two of the worst examples of the human race. _And yet here I am, falling for the worst example of them all._ Ryou couldn't fathom his own naïveté. What sort of innocent fool could fall in love with the Thief King? He felt certain that that degree of idiocy belonged to Marik and himself alone. Only _they_ could allow the most feared mortal of ancient Egypt to steal their hearts. But only Ryou could allow him to take it without any strings attached. _You don't have to love me back. You just have to stand there and kiss Marik while I rip myself apart over it. How can I still love you?_ There was no doubt that he did.

_And oh, don't leave me to die here  
__Help me survive here alone  
__Don't remember  
__Remember_

Ryou wondered if it bothered Bakura at all just how badly he was hurting right now. _Since he can't feel it, I would suppose not._ It was like an internal, splitting ache that could kill him at any moment. _Would it bother you if I died? Could you live knowing that, after everything I've done, _you_ ended up killing me?_ Why couldn't he? Murder was a part of Bakura's past, so why wouldn't it be a part of his present? More sobs racked Ryou's body. _Please don't let me die. I care so much. Why can't you just see that? Why can't you care back?_ Ryou wished that he would try it for a change. _Sometimes it's nice to care._ Perpetual apathy couldn't be good for him. Nor could perpetual self-reliance. _Everybody needs _somebody_. You can't remain alone forever. You can't _want_ to remain alone forever._ What a miserable life that would be. _Forget who you used to be. He isn't worth remembering. You're better than that._ At least he hoped so.

_Put me to sleep evil angel  
__Open your wings evil angel_

Oh, Bakura could do that well enough. Ryou hadn't spent a night away from him since the first time he saw the ruby-eyed thief. Bakura haunted his dreams, but in such a way that Ryou was left craving more. _I wish that I could just stay in my dream world._ At least the Bakura there was honest. There were no tricks to him, no hiding what he wanted, no uncertainty that he would get it in due time. Dream-Bakura held his wings wide open for dream-Ryou. _Open your wings evil angel._ How evil he was. The angel part was more questionable. But for Ryou that was exactly what Bakura was: some malevolent beacon of hope toying with his mind. Ryou took a deep breath and sighed. His tears were gone. _No more crying over him._ He pulled out the manga version of his dream that he had created two days before and began to flip through it.

_I'm a believer, nothing could be worse  
__All these imaginary friends  
__Hiding betrayal, driving the nail  
__Hoping to find a savior_

Dream-Bakura had filled Ryou with false hopes and excessive expectations for real-Bakura. His imaginary Bakura had helped Ryou to lift the living Bakura onto a pedestal so high he could never climb down. _I'm asking for more than you know how to give just yet. At least, more than you know how to give _me_._ Marik, on the other hand, seemed to be getting everything Ryou dreamed of, without having to prove anything but that he had a vague crush. Ryou had proven his trust in Bakura time and time again. The thief knew everything there _was_ to know about Ryou Bakura. The thief had been entrusted with a key to Ryou Bakura's _home_. Bakura's betrayal ran deep in Ryou's blood, invisible to the naked eye. This afternoon was the final nail in the coffin. But no matter how far over the line Bakura went, Ryou wanted nothing more than for him to descend from the heavens—or perhaps rise from the fiery pits of Hell—and save him from the loneliness he had endured for so long.

_Put me to sleep evil angel  
__Open your wings evil angel  
__Oh fly over me evil angel  
__Why can't I breathe evil angel?_

Ryou forgot that he was asking for too much. _All I want is to be cared for. Is that so hard?_ He was asking for nothing more than to be held close and told he was wanted. All he desired was to feel safe with another human being, the way he hadn't for a long time. He wanted a guardian angel, whose charge was no more complicated than keeping him happy. _Too much_, he reminded himself. His chest tightened at just the thought of driving Bakura away with his seemingly small requests. _If I can't have Bakura as my own_, he thought, _I at least want him to be around._ Ryou knew that Bakura was honor bound—funny that he even _had_ honor—to remain with the boy who had freed his soul after millennia of confinement, but there had to be a point where he would be scared off.

"_Put me to sleep evil angel  
__Open your wings evil angel  
__Oh fly over me evil angel  
__Why can't I breath evil angel?"_

Ryou sang along to the final chorus, letting the emotion of the song drain the last of his melancholy.

Just before the final guitar chord, the music cut out. "Care to run that by me again?"

Ryou spun around in his chair to face Bakura, who stood beside the CD player with a finger on the STOP button, wearing his usual smirk. The boy clapped his hands over his mouth, terror rising in his throat.

* * *

Finally, the title chapter! Short, I know, but it must be this way. This is the end of my publishing spree, though the next chapter should not be far behind. Remember, y'all, I wanna know what you think! Please review!


	23. I Love You

**Chapter Twenty-Three  
**_**I Love You**_

"H-How did you get in here?" Ryou demanded through his fingers.

Bakura twirled a small screwdriver between his. "I have my ways."

"G-Get out! I locked my door for a reason! I don't want to talk to you right now!"

"Did you know you have a nice singing voice?"

"_Get out!_" Ryou wasn't angry so much as he was embarrassed. Waking up the morning before to find that Bakura had seen his manga rendition of the dream had been bad enough, but now _this_. He didn't think that he could ever face Bakura again. The tears he had just driven away welled in his eyes once more. "Leave me alone."

Bakura hadn't _really_ meant to make the kind of appearance he had. But when he opened the door to find Ryou singing along to that sad love song, he couldn't help himself. Every fear he'd had about the situation had evaporated, leaving him with only his self-assured smirk and the knowledge that he had _everything_ under control. He began walking toward the boy. "I think you're jealous."

It wasn't hard for Ryou to see where this was going. He jumped up from his chair and backed away. "You think wrong."

"Not very often."

"This isn't very often."

"I think it is. You're jealous of Marik." Bakura came to a stop only once he had walked Ryou back against the wall. "What do you honestly think that you're missing? He's nothing more than a bit of harmless fun."

Ryou frowned. "_Harmless?_ You call your Mountain Dew-induced adrenaline rush in there _harmless_?" The tears that had collected fell down his cheeks. "Maybe it didn't harm _you_. But it _has_ hurt me, and I'm sure that in time, it _will_ hurt Marik."

"So you admit that you're jealous." A statement of undeniable fact.

"_No!_ I'm not jealous! I don't like you, Bakura! Stop being so conceited!"

With his most sarcastic taken aback face, Bakura took a backward step. "Oh? I'm being _conceited_?"

Ryou didn't like the way this seemed to be going at _all_. "B-Bakura…you're my _friend_. That's all!"

"Then why aren't you _happy_ for me?"

"Because…you're…taking things way too far! You can't have a healthy relationship when you…" Ryou couldn't continue. More tears slipped out of his eyes. He cringed back when Bakura reached out to wipe them away. "I don't like you, Bakura, so stop it!"

The other's smirk widened. "Ryou, I know that you don't like me." He allowed the boy a moment to be relieved before continuing. "I know that you _love_ me." And then it finally happened—Bakura kissed Ryou. He didn't restrain himself: whatever he felt, he let Ryou feel too. It was a moment of prolonged honesty that neither could deny.

Ryou panicked. Of course Bakura knew. How _couldn't_ he know? All the signs, however small, couldn't have been difficult to read. And after all that had happened over the past six days, it was finally _his_ turn. The only thing that kept Ryou from letting go as completely as Bakura was _that_ Bakura had let go so completely. The raw desire he had revealed was terrifying. Ryou managed to break away and catch the breath that had been stolen from him. "Stop it, Bakura. You're scaring me."

"Am I? Good. I like watching you squirm."

"You're right, okay? I _do_ care! I _am_ jealous! You're _scaring_ me! Let me go!"

"I don't think so." He moved in again, kissing Ryou just as strongly as before. "What are you so scared of?"

"I…" Ryou stopped. What _was_ he so scared of? He trusted Bakura with his _life_. "I don't know."

Bakura pulled the boy close and kissed him again. And again. He hadn't enjoyed anything this much in his long, _long_ life, and he had no intention of letting it end anytime soon.

In Ryou's head, all the lines of what was acceptable and what was not blurred. His heart beat faster than he had thought possible. He dropped his guard and placed his hands on the other's chest; Bakura's heartbeat was just as fast and strong as his own. A soft moan escaped his throat as Bakura's lips moved down to his neck.

This was certainly new. No one had _ever_ trusted Bakura enough to allow _this_. Being in a position of such power emboldened him more than seventeen cans of Mountain Dew _ever_ could. Not only was Ryou relenting, he was _reacting_, much more fervently than Marik had. It felt good to be holding a willing victim.

Ryou folded his arms around Bakura's neck and sank to the ground, pulling Bakura down with him.

Bakura pushed him back against the wall as he let his hands slide down to the boy's waist. He found the hem of Ryou's shirt and gently pulled it over his captive's head.

And he put up no fight, just lifted his arms enough for it to be removed before laying his head against Bakura's shoulder and sighing.

Adrenaline coursed through Bakura's veins. If he went any further, there would be no stopping. He trailed his lips along Ryou's collarbone, eliciting a longer moan than the first. _SO much more fervent than Marik._ Bakura trapped Ryou's wrists to the floor and kissed him on the lips.

In the single corner of his mind that was not being used to process all the new sensations he was experiencing, Ryou vaguely wondered which one of them was enjoying himself more. To him, Bakura was like a small child playing with a gift he had been _begging_ his parents to get for him: ecstatic and perhaps _overly_ enthusiastic. And yet how could Ryou argue or complain? _He_ was the bride's deceitful friend, who had nearly given up hope when, miraculously, the groom walked in and assured her that everything between _them_ was still strong, despite the vows he had just taken.

Bakura had finally gone too far to practice any more restraint. He had gotten to his knees astride Ryou, and his hands had moved back to the boy's now bare waist. _Ryou really DOES love me_, he thought. _Poor kid. If I weren't so bad, I would probably let him go. But I AM so bad, and I want him NOW, not later. I'm ready, whether he is or not._ He reached down and unbuttoned Ryou's jeans. _Poor kid_, he thought once more with a dark, barely audible laugh. The zipper caught. Bakura growled. Of all the inopportune moments, why _this one_?

Ryou gasped at Bakura's angry growl; his senses came rushing back to him. Every line that should not be crossed came back into sharp focus, one particular line much thicker than the others…the exact line that he and Bakura were standing on at that very moment. Ryou could do nothing but wait and see what Bakura would do; there was no way that he could ever _fight_ him. He hadn't even registered the full magnitude of the situation.

Bakura flashed back to the first day he had actually _communicated_ with Ryou. The boy had been so vulnerable, had trusted someone who was practically a complete stranger with _everything_. Ryou still trusted him. He sat back on his heels, not ready to let the boy go just yet, but resigned that he would do nothing more to damage him.

_What is he thinking?_ Ryou wondered, watching curiously as Bakura gazed at him with a pensive expression that hardly belonged on his mischievous face.

This wasn't the last time they would be alone in the house. When Ryou was ready, Bakura would strike again. He leaned forward and kissed the boy one last time before rising and turning away.

Ryou pulled his shirt back on and jumped to his feet. "Bakura, I…" _I what? What is there to say?_ Only one thing came to mind. "I—"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Not that far. And please, don't be jealous of Marik. The only void he fills is all the spare time I have. Good night." Bakura opened the door, but stopped cold at Ryou's words.

"I love you." There. He'd said it. After all the pretense, the words were out, hanging in the air between them.

Bakura sighed. _Now what am I supposed to say to that?_ He decided on nothing, and walked out the door.

"I love you," Ryou repeated more softly before dropping onto his bed and closing his eyes. His energy was entirely spent.

It took everything he had for Bakura to make himself go into his own room. "I know you love me, Ryou. That may be your greatest mistake."

* * *

In celebration of my one-year yaoishipping/Evil Angel anniversary, I forced myself to finish this today. I would like to thank you all for remaining loyal readers, even though I can be frustrating at times!

On another note, I have been planning this moment since day one, and I am _psyched_ to have finally gotten here. Next up is another sixth chapter, so anybody who has caught onto the pattern knows what that means. Next chapter's moment has been planned since chapter six. Keep reading, and don't forget to review!


	24. You Have No Idea What You're Asking For

**Chapter Twenty-Four  
**_**You Have No Idea What You're Asking For**_

Bakura stared through the window at the moon and the stars, trying to distract himself from the sleeping boy on the bed beside him. He wondered if Seraf was right, if Ryou really _did_ need the decision to be made for him. But no matter how he tried looking at it, it never seemed to be quite acceptable. The boy deserved more respect than that. _But he doesn't need it_, Bakura thought, imagining Seraf's response. _"Do you love him?"_ He still had no answer to that question. For some reason, it bothered him. _Ryou knows. That's obvious. Does it bother HIM that I don't know?_ It had to, at least a little. As forward as Bakura was, he couldn't manage to say any word that remotely resembled…_love_. Above all else, he didn't want to _lie_ to the boy. What little conscience he had would eat away at him if he did.

With a low groan of inward contempt, Bakura sat up, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and sat there, continuing to stare out the window. The thousands of stars in the sky served only to remind him that, no matter how infamous and well-known he was, he was really just a small part of the world. Vague memories from his early childhood surfaced. The strongest was the overwhelming belief of being entirely alone in the world, which still lingered to that moment, despite the presence of Ryou and Seraf in his life. He sighed, trying to banish the feeling.

"Bakura?"

He turned to see Ryou struggling to a sitting position as he rubbed his eyes. "I didn't know you were still awake, kid."

The boy gave him a bleary smile. "I wasn't." He crawled across the bed and sat beside his companion. "What were you thinking about?" Ryou asked in a tone that suggested concern would follow the answer if necessary.

"It's…" Bakura hesitated. There was no reason to worry the boy. But the look in his eyes changed his mind. "My past. I've…told you what happened. Sometimes it haunts me." Of course, there was the desolate loneliness that even now wasn't fading, but he couldn't admit to that. It would be tantamount to saying he was really a weak soul contained within a thin layer of cold distance.

Ryou didn't really know what to say to that. It would be heartless to tell him to just get over it. How could he? Everyone he had ever known had been sacrificed when he was just four years old. That wasn't a childhood trauma that could be overcome. And he couldn't just say, _"I'm sorry."_ It was such a generic consolation that it meant nothing. Instead of speaking, he laid a hand on Bakura's and smiled up at him in a way that he hoped was comforting.

Had it been any other time, the sweet smile _would_ have been. But tonight it just made Bakura more miserable. It reminded him of the delicate innocence that was completely at his mercy.

When Bakura gave him a sad look and turned away, Ryou's concern surfaced. "Are you okay?" There was definitely more on his mind than his childhood, and Ryou suspected himself as that more.

Bakura could sense that Ryou had caught on from the way his hand clenched around Bakura's own. He looked back at the boy. "Ryou, I wish that you wouldn't pry. I don't want to upset you."

His suspicions were confirmed. "Did I do something?"

"No, Ryou," he lied. "It's just that…you're so sensitive to emotions. I don't want you to have to feel what I do. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"I want to know," Ryou urged, pleading with his eyes more than with his voice.

Bakura couldn't argue. "Well, sometimes, I feel so…small and…_alone_. Even now, with you, I just…"

Ryou's expression crumpled.

The other sighed. "This is why I didn't want to say anything. It's not that you aren't…important to me."_ It's just that I know that I'm not good for you, and that you deserve better._ "There's nearly always been a hole that I can't fill."

The statement had wounded Ryou. And yet, he understood. He couldn't remember much of his life before he appeared in ancient Egypt, but he could remember the deep, perpetual loneliness that seemed to have filled most of his previous life. He had been working to shut it out, to move on; he wanted to help Bakura to do the same. "Bakura," Ryou said in a soft, gentle voice, "you're not alone. Not physically, not emotionally. I'm here." Without moving his hand from the other's, he leaned over and pressed his lips to Bakura's.

It was the first time that _Ryou_ had kissed _him_. Bakura relinquished his control and allowed the boy to lead. The kiss was tender, honest…and by far the most innocent gesture Ryou had ever made. It was soft and sweet, nothing like the kisses they had shared before. Bakura allowed himself to rest a hand on the boy's waist; the touch wasn't meant to pull him closer, just to serve as another point of contact.

Even though it was undoubtedly the most mellow kiss up to that point, it felt as though it was more intimate than the others combined. It was a mutual expression of what they could not yet put into words, and because of this was more passionate in the most innocent way.

As the moment stretched on, it became harder for Bakura to let _Ryou_ lead _him_. Submission was not in his nature, and his nobility was fast waning. The first bit of control he lost was his hand, whose grip tightened on the boy's waist and drew him closer. The feeling of power it gave him spread throughout the rest of his body. He pulled his other hand out from under Ryou's and held the boy's waist possessively; he pressed further against Ryou's lips and passed between them.

Ryou didn't let himself think about the sudden aggression because he knew that if he did, he would be terrified and pull away. He didn't want that. Instead of thinking, he allowed himself to enjoy Bakura's uninhibited touch which, so far, had been outlasted only by the "incident". Unlike Bakura, Ryou didn't mind giving in, which was just as well as it could have caused many problems between them long ago. Bakura jerked himself away and jumped off the bed, leaving Ryou staring after him with a hurt expression, wondering what had gone wrong _this_ time.

The other banished himself to the far corner of the room, refusing to look in the boy's general direction. "Ra, Ryou," he finally murmured, just loudly enough to be understood. "Why do you let me do that to you?" He turned slightly to express that this was not a rhetorical question.

How many times did he have to say it? "I'm not afraid of you."

How many times did _he_ have to say it? "You should be."

Ryou was getting tired of having this conversation every time they kissed. "I don't get it, Bakura. Why are you afraid of yourself, especially now, with Seraf in the other room? You aren't going to hurt me: I can sense it."

"You sense _wrong_."

"Not very often."

"This isn't very often," Bakura argued.

"I think it is. You're not going to hurt me." He stood and approached the other.

Bakura shot him a fierce glare that stopped the boy halfway across the room. "You have no idea what you're asking for."

Ryou's reply was laced with the usually-suppressed fiery passion that Bakura had come to admire in him. "Maybe I don't. But I'm not running away from it. I don't _want_ to run away from it. I…no, _we_ have to deal with this if we're going to make this work. Unless," he continued, suddenly regretting his spontaneous outburst, "that's the problem. If that's not what you ever wanted, then…" It pained him to think such a thing, but there was no denying the possibility. "Is that it? Are you holding back because you know where _I_ think that this is going?" Ryou couldn't make out Bakura's expression in the dark, but he sure took a long time before answering.

That time was spent reflecting on the suggestion. _Was_ that why he always pulled away? Because, deep down, he _knew_ that Ryou had the wrong idea? The more he considered it, the more he knew that it wasn't true. He had no intention of abandoning the strange boy who had magically appeared in his life. The simple lust he had originally felt was now intertwined with a much deeper sense of attachment. He couldn't desert Ryou any more than he could desert his own ka. He finally answered. "No, Ryou. It's…complicated. I'm not innocent like you, but…this is new for me. I've never wanted to _protect_ anyone before. I've always…surrendered myself to the moment and disregarded how I might be affecting whoever my victim happens to be. But with you…" Bakura was frustrated, by Ryou, by himself. Ryou didn't know how to take a hint and preserve himself; Bakura didn't know how to keep his hands off. Their conflicting personalities were perfect complements of one another, but they made a dangerously unstable pair. One small push could be all it took to send them over the edge into something that they would assuredly both regret. Perhaps in time it would become something that they would embrace without a second thought, but until then Bakura wanted to help Ryou to preserve his waning innocence.

"_But with you…"_ Those three words fanned his spark of hope to a smoldering flame. He was something different, something _more_ than anyone before. _"Its not that you aren't…important to me."_ Bakura had admitted that he cared. It was more than Ryou could have asked for in the couple of weeks that they had known each other, let alone in a single night. He took another step toward the thief in the corner.

Bakura growled. He would rather scare the boy than hurt him. But it seemed that nothing he could do would deter Ryou anymore. The boy had finally worked himself into a state in which he was oblivious to the danger he was facing. Bakura could almost see a fire burning in his eyes.

Ryou forced himself to ignore his companion's warning growl. He approached with what little caution he cared to use at this point, coming to a stop right in front of Bakura. "I care about you. And you admitted that you care about me. But you're holding back because you think that you'll harm me if you don't. That's the only thing that keeps you from letting us happen." He threw his arms around Bakura's waist and buried his face against Bakura's chest in a reckless act of desperation.

The embrace was so unexpected that Bakura caught his breath for a long few moments. When he regained himself, he pushed the boy away. "You're crazy."

"You're a coward."

Bakura clenched his teeth and fought hard to control his voice. "A coward? Do you have any _idea_ how hard it is for me to pull away from you? Do you have any _idea_ how much you take out of me? _Do you have any IDEA how hard it is for me not to attack you here and now? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW RIDICULOUS YOU ARE?_" With each word he walked Ryou backward, toward where they had been when the problem began.

The boy forced himself to ignore the anger that was bubbling over. He knew that, deep down, it wasn't anger that was fueling the monologue. "Yes. But I accept it. I don't run and hide behind a wall of self-loathing."

That was all that it took for Bakura to snap. He wrapped his hands around Ryou's upper arms and shoved him back against the wall. "Say that again," he murmured into the boy's ear, his tone slipping into a sultry darkness that he had never used with Ryou before.

Ryou was terrified, but he knew that if he turned back now, he would never be able to convince Bakura that he wasn't dangerous. "I _love_ you, Bakura."

Bakura's darker side was finally unleashed. He kissed Ryou, wasting no time with being sweet or gentle. If that was what the boy had wanted, he had failed. He pushed past Ryou's lips with the hunger he had, until that moment, so successfully buried. A smirk spread across his lips as he felt Ryou's hands grasp his tunic and pull him closer. The boy was literally _crazy_ for him, not to mention completely suicidal. He was _begging_ for molestation. _Begging_ for _RAPE_.

All Ryou could do now was surrender and beg to the gods of this world that he was right. He had to set an example for Bakura to follow. _That sounds so twisted._ So instead of struggling as his deepest instinct told him to, he kissed back, trying to reciprocate Bakura's desire.

Whether the boy intended to pose a challenge or not, Bakura's depraved mind interpreted the soft return as such. He refused to be beaten. The thief pulled away from Ryou's mouth and trailed his lips along the boy's jawbone and down his throat.

Ryou didn't mean for his moan to sound so…_provocative_. It was a natural reaction to that kind of contact, but he knew that he should have held it back the moment he heard Bakura's dark chuckle.

He pulled back and stared into Ryou's eyes, wide with what was no doubt fear, but also something else. Hope. Bakura smirked and leaned closer. "You're insane," he breathed before pressing his lips to Ryou's. "Inane." He kissed him again. "Suicidal." Bakura released the boy's arms and pulled him away from the wall. "Do you still _love_ me, Ryou?"

It took every ounce of courage he had for the boy to look directly into Bakura's maniacally burning eyes. "Nothing could ever make me not," Ryou replied, his voice strengthened by the conviction he felt.

Something deep within Bakura's mind fell into place, blocking the flow of dark energy that he had been riding. _He means it._ Ryou was his, no matter what Bakura did to him. Bakura could never _steal_ Ryou's innocence because the boy had freely given it to him.

Ryou could sense the change in his companion. He saw the evil intentions in his eyes flicker and die, replaced by a smoldering desire almost as pure as his own.

This new Bakura had no wish to stop what his most wicked self had begun. "This isn't stopping, Ryou," he murmured into the boy's ear, "but it's…different. Better." He lifted Ryou into his arms and sat him on the bed. The thief kissed his companion's lips and joined him.

The boy's eyes shone as he wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck and pulled him down.

* * *

Another moment that I've been planning since near the beginning, since the end of chapter six to be precise. Sorry if you were disappointed, but this is rated T, and I'm not comfortable writing lemons. Use your imaginations. I know you have some really great ones!

On another note, I forgot to mention two chapters ago that "Evil Angel" belongs to Breaking Benjamin.

So now, please review! I eagerly await your opinions!


	25. I Was Just Thinking

_**Chapter Twenty-Five  
**__**I Was Just Thinking**_

Bakura awoke the next morning wondering which of them had most influenced the end of the dream. He suspected it had been him. He also wondered if Ryou had noticed his presence yet, or if he believed that _he_ was the one causing his dreams to take such a…_physical_ turn. The utter ridiculousness of the notion struck him as incredibly funny. _Ryou. Have sex dreams! Ha! That'll be the day!_ Bakura sat up and went to the window, almost expecting Marik to be standing there, impatiently tapping his toe as he waited to be let in. But then he remembered where his…_boyfriend_ had gone. _This really shouldn't bother me as much as it does. I don't LIKE him._ Nonetheless, he tried and failed to come up with a reason Ishizu would have demanded that her brother return home _immediately_. From Marik's expression, he gathered that it couldn't be anything good.

But it had certainly _led_ to something that was nothing if not good. Things may have gone the same whether she had called or not, but Bakura hadn't had to worry about Marik returning. His mind had been fully invested in those long few moments he'd spent in Ryou's bedroom last night. More had been accomplished then than they'd been able to get through in nearly a full _week_. _It's only been a week_, Bakura mused, _and I've already stirred up this much trouble._ He chuckled. _I'm not bored anymore._ Something burst through a door in his mind. _It's about time!_ With a grumble, Bakura thought, _Ra damn it, not you again._ He pushed it back and proceeded to consider what had happened between Ryou and himself.

Bakura hadn't expected to reveal anything to Ryou just yet, much less to _kiss_ him. But something inside him had tipped over and caught him on fire, burning down every façade he'd built in a blazing moment of unbridled passion. Not that he regretted what he'd done. On the contrary, he was sort of…_proud_ of himself. He was surprised by _why_, because it had nothing to do with the fact that he now had _two_ boys on strings. He'd done something…_good_, rather than something _bad_. Good because he'd admitted to reciprocating Ryou's feelings. Good because he didn't intend to take it back. He didn't doubt that Ryou had read into every honest emotion he'd fed into the kiss, heard every word without Bakura having to say one. _"Of course I care about you, you idiot. Of course I like you. I can't believe you tried to convince yourself that this would never happen. You're so innocent…"_ But he knew that he'd have to say everything _without_ all of the hormonal subtext. _That's…manageable. I guess._ Manageable or not, it had to happen at some point, and better sooner rather than later, before Ryou had time to twist everything in his mind and convince himself that it had been nothing more than Bakura taking a break. Or perhaps even his own imagination.

It was hard for Bakura to see Ryou being able to pull _that_ off. Even _he_ couldn't possibly convince himself that the kiss had never happened. There was no denying the warmth of their touching lips, the fervent desire that passed between them. There was no forgetting their racing hearts, beating together in harmony. No blocking out how close they had gotten to actually… He allowed his mind to trail off for a moment. _Actually what? Having sex? I think he may have protested that._ Maybe. _But_, began the other voice, _did he protest when you took off his shirt? Unbuttoned his jeans? He's not THAT innocent._ He banged his head against the window. _That's what bothers me._ Bakura was starting to feel a lot like his dream-self. _I think reality is a whole lot more complicated than Ryou's dream._ In the dream, it was just him and Ryou. No Marik. No father. No friends. The only person to be pleased was Bakura. Nobody else would care about—would even _notice—_a change in the boy, as there no doubt would be. _Welcome to the real world, Ryou. It's inhabited by trillions of people, and some of them happen to know you._ He hit his head against the window again.

Bakura didn't _want_ to have to consider any of the other people who were an undeniable part of Ryou's life. He wanted to focus on just the two of them, on how much a part of each the other was. He wanted to learn how to keep Ryou happy. _Gah, did I really just think that? Of course I did._ And it had just occurred to him _why_. Feeling Ryou's pain had been no illusion: they were still connected, even if only by a few fraying threads. The moment Ryou first touched the Ring, they had become intertwined. But on Sunday they had torn themselves apart; it was unnatural. Ryou had only been vaguely infatuated with Bakura when they still shared a body. But once they separated, he began to feel a pull to his other half, a sudden desperate _need_ for them to be together again—what he had interpreted as _love_. Bakura had tried to ignore the feeling in every way he could, the most shameful of all being Marik. But no matter what he did, there was no way to escape it, and he didn't think he could stand himself if he _did_ manage to escape it. When he had asked for his own body, he had asked to split one person into two. The longer they stayed apart, the weaker the threads connecting them would become. Bakura knew that if they broke, both of them would be left with an emptiness that they could never refill. _Ra, I REALLY messed us up. But perhaps it was for the best. Could Ryou have withstood a lifetime of my shadow?_ Whatever the case, he had been selfish. Bakura punched the wall.

Ryou bolted upright in his bed when a heavy _thump_ broke through his sleep. He groaned and looked at his clock. _5:50._ He had a little time to think before starting his morning routine. There was only one thing on the boy's mind: the night before. Ryou had been…shocked more than anything. After everything he'd seen him do with Marik, Bakura had turned around and kissed _Ryou_. The whole thing was infused with unspoken messages, everything that Ryou couldn't see before. Or rather, everything that Ryou hadn't allowed himself to accept. Bakura had been toying with both Marik and him, but the way he played was different for each. Bakura had convinced Marik that he liked him, even though that wasn't truly the case. He'd convinced Ryou that he _didn't_ like him, and that was most _certainly_ not the case. _Why did you have to hurt me?_ Because he was bored, of course. It seemed that last night had been the final straw, and Bakura had gotten tired of the game, so he'd started a new one. _Or maybe this is just an extension of _Confuse the Ryou_._ It was possible, of course. Ryou didn't want it to be. Whether Bakura honestly cared back or not, Ryou loved him. _How did I even get to this point?_ the boy wondered.

Saturday night, after he first saw Bakura, he began dreaming. That first dream was _sort of_ romantic, but it could have been written off as trying on a new feeling with the only person his mind could think of. It was mostly about Bakura being protective of him.

The next afternoon, Ryou and Bakura split apart into two separate bodies, and Ryou all but _begged_ Bakura to stay because he couldn't stand the thought of being alone. Bakura left the house with Marik sometime that night.

Ryou woke up the next morning to find Bakura's note. After school he and his friends were chased around by his fangirls. He walked home that night, terrified of what the growing dark had in store for him now that Bakura's aura no longer overshadowed him. Bakura ended up coming home three hours late and told the story of Marik's and his "date". Marik broke in and Bakura dragged him outside, where Ryou saw them kissing. He went to bed deeply upset. The dream moved on, and there was no overlooking the strong romantic overtones. Ryou awakened in the middle of the night and discovered Marik and Bakura _making out_ in the living room. This time he went to bed _crying_; he decided then to stop liking Bakura.

Of course, Bakura wouldn't allow it to be that simple. In the morning, Bakura admitted that he and Marik were dating. Despite his words, he continued his subtle advances, entirely breaking Ryou's resolve to forget him. Ryou spent the entire school day drawing instead of taking notes. At the end of the day, Yugi invited him to spend the night on Thursday, and Ryou had accepted. When Marik left, Bakura kissed him right in front of Ryou, then proceeded to look at the top picture of the "notes", which he recognized as his horse Lazuli. He handed the notes back and gave Ryou a glass of water. Ryou spent several hours turning his drawings into a full storyline before falling asleep. He remembered waking up and falling asleep again sometime in the middle of the night. The dream progressed, and the underlying sexual tension grew a lot stronger.

Ryou woke up at his desk the following morning and found his drawings had been messed with, as well as Bakura's chair right beside him; no doubt as to who had done it lingered in his mind. He went downstairs to find Marik and Bakura sharing a seat, about to kiss. He kept a straight face as he poured himself some water and put two bags of his 'COFFEE' in it before heading upstairs and checking his homework. After that was done, he drank the—ridiculously strong—tea. Ryou couldn't deny that he was jealous, that he truly cared about Bakura, so instead he was going to avoid him until he broke up with Marik. He spent the school day constantly tapping either his hand or his foot from the guarana. When he got home, he found Marik and Bakura asleep on the couch. Because the rest of the afternoon was blank, he assumed that he had passed out at around that time. The next time he woke up it was a little after one in the morning. As he crept downstairs, he could hear some very…_interesting_ sounds coming from the living room. He snuck into the kitchen and pulled down every box of tea except for green, which he figured he would need in the morning. He fell asleep with a small smirk of his own. Bakura would have been proud had he known of the ploy.

He tried to leave early yesterday, but Bakura was already up, and insisted that he drink some tea. Ryou tried to refuse, but Bakura dragged him to the kitchen. Just as he was sat down, the doorbell rang and Bakura went to answer, as it was undoubtedly Marik. Ryou took his chance to pick up the last box of tea and slip away before Bakura could stop him. Throughout the school day, he actually looked forward to the night he was going to spend at Yugi's. It was time away from Bakura and Marik, which he desperately needed. But when they got to the game shop, Grandpa was sick again, so Yugi apologized before sending them all home. So Ryou went home and found Bakura leaning over Marik.

From that point on things became a complete emotional blur. He was very, very depressed. He was very, very scared. He was incredibly, impossibly in _love_. No matter how much he hated the way Bakura had acted over the past several days, Ryou wasn't going to lie to either of them anymore. He loved Bakura. _So just kill me now if it's really so bad_, he thought to whatever deity might be watching. He sighed and stretched when nothing happened. Not that he expected anything to. _Time to get up, I suppose._

Bakura heard a sigh coming from the other room and looked at the small clock that was sitting on his bedside table. _6:15._ Ryou was surely awake by now, and if he wasn't, he needed waking up. He got to his feet and opened his door.

Ryou stepped out of his room just as Bakura did the same. He gasped and felt his face flush. He'd wanted just a little bit of time to mentally prepare himself before the inevitable post-first-kiss encounter took place.

It was Bakura who broke the momentary silence. "You're up a little late."

"I was just thinking."

The other nodded and started downstairs. "Yeah, me too." He paused and waited for Ryou to follow before disappearing into the kitchen.

* * *

I almost made this chapter completely silent, but then it would have been nameless as well. Which I kind of think would have been awesome, but...

Anyway, this is the closest you'll ever get to Evil Angel: The Abridged Fanfic. This is kind of filler, but it's also kind of important, so please don't be pissed off and send my ratings plummetting to the ground! Just bear with me, as next chapter will—or rather had _best_ be—more interesting.

So I have a new fic up for those of you who haven't noticed. It's called The Secret Life of a Japanese Teenager, absolutely no relation to _The Secret Life of an American Teenager_, I swear! I've been mulling over doing a huge fic where I talk about more than three characters, so that's it and thanks to those four of you who have already reviewed. I'm putting up the next chapter here in a few minutes, as I swore I wouldn't update it until I updated this.

Now, review please! I haven't been getting as many reviews as before and it makes me...sad. So review!


	26. I Don't Care How The Questions Sound

**Chapter Twenty-Six  
**_**I Don't Care How The Questions Sound**_

By the time Ryou entered the kitchen, Bakura had already gotten out the teapot and was filling it up. "I'll do it," he said automatically. He didn't bother to hide his surprise when Bakura made no move to stop him from turning on the burner. "You're letting me?"

Bakura shrugged. "I've already done half the work." Ignoring his desire to take charge was difficult to say the least, but he figured he'd done enough taking charge the night before to last for several weeks. He sat down at the table and waited patiently for a steaming cup to be placed in front of him.

Ryou couldn't look Bakura in the eye. Not just yet, at least. He still needed time to pull himself together, plan what he wanted to say. _What _do_ I want to say?_

Staring in silence took more self-control than Bakura had ever imagined he possessed. He had no more of an idea of how to approach the subject than Ryou. After all, he had never bothered to involve himself too deeply with another human being. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. "Ryou."

The boy's eyes snapped up. There was no more avoiding this. "Yes?" He had to face it, but he didn't have to start the conversation.

There was no reason to jump head-on into what had happened last night. "Marik's gone back to Egypt for a few days."

Ryou raised his eyebrows. "Really? What for?"

"Ishizu called just after you ran off. He asked the museum to forward urgent calls here if he wasn't there to take them—is that all right with you?" He took the boy's slight nod for a _yes_. "She asked him to fly home immediately, so he got on a plane to Memphis at five last night."

"Why did she want him home so soon?"

Bakura shrugged. "No idea. Even Marik didn't know, but from the look on his face, it didn't seem to be anything good."

"So," Ryou began, feeling a little guilty over his next question, "how long will he be gone?" He couldn't help the lacing of hope in his voice.

"A few days. Nothing definite. We have a while to ourselves to…sort things out." He paused, waiting for Ryou to speak. "Well? I'm sure you've got plenty of questions you've been dying to ask," he urged after a moment.

Ryou blinked. Of course he had plenty of questions he'd been dying to ask. But how could he voice them without sounding too desperate? Without sounding too heartless?

Bakura sighed loudly. He could feel the aura of uncertainty and reluctance surrounding the boy. "I don't care how the questions sound. You should know that."

That was all the invitation Ryou needed. "What is he to you? What have you two been doing while I'm at school? Why have you treated me this way? What am _I_ to you? What was last night? How—"

"One at a time, please," Bakura interrupted. "What is Marik to me? I already told you last night. He's nothing more than what I consider to be harmless fun. He's just a way to fill all the spare time I have. Yes, I find him physically attractive, but who _wouldn't_? I never intended to be this…_close_ to him. He was just supposed to be a guy I kissed a few times and then dropped. I let things get out of hand yesterday."

"I'll say," agreed Ryou with a little bitterness. "What _happened_? I came home to find empty Mountain Dew cans scattered all over the living room and you two upstairs doing…doing…" He didn't dare go on.

"We _were_ going to drink some tea and spend the day like we usually do, but the tea had disappeared overnight." Bakura gave Ryou a pointed stare before continuing. "So Marik and I decided to go get some Mountain Dew at the supermarket."

Ryou narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Define _get_."

There was no point in lying at this point, so Bakura shrugged. "Steal. We brought the Mountain Dew back here and I suggested a bet to see who could drink more. He decided that if he won, I had to let him stay the weekend, which in retrospect," he added quickly at the hint of darkness that crossed Ryou's face, "isn't in my power, really. My bet was that he could spend the weekend, but we would spend the rest of yesterday in my room. Marik drank six cans. I drank seventeen. As I'm sure you've been told, Mountain Dew has probably twice as much caffeine as coffee. We were both buzzed, and I made the stupid decision to kiss him with that kind of rush."

"And then _I_ walked in," finished Ryou with a hint of a sardonic undertone.

"It's a good thing, too, because I was close to the edge of _way_ too far, and Marik was in no position to fight. Now tell me," he said, changing the subject, "what happened to the tea?"

"I…took it all while you and Marik were in the living room Wednesday night. I really have no idea what I was trying to prove. I guess I just wanted to do something remotely like revenge."

_Your revenge is what caused everything that happened yesterday._ Bakura resisted the urge to voice this. "You did well. I never saw it coming. What other questions did you have?" he prompted.

"How do you and Marik _usually_ spend your days?"

"We go wreak harmless havoc somewhere in the city, then—"

"Harmless? Havoc?"

_Should have seen that one coming._ "Sure. Scare a few children, kick a few puppies, behave as effeminately as we can in the most _masculine_ locations we can find. All standard."

"Please don't tell me you're serious about scaring children and kicking puppies." Ryou had no doubt that the last one had been entirely true. It would probably have been funny if he hadn't been suffering severe pangs of jealousy for the past several days.

"Children, yes. Puppies, no. Kaiba does a good enough job of that every time he smiles. And then you already know how we've been spending the rest of our time."

Ryou could tell that he was open for a new question. "Did you spend Tuesday night watching me sleep? And _looking through my notes_?"

_Ra. He knows? Damn it._ He sighed. "Yes. I asked you a few questions about my past while you were sleeping. Explain the notes." _I want to HEAR him say this._

The boy's face flushed bright red. "They're…I…um…" He did _not_ want to admit to the dreams. But what choice did he have? "They're the 'not quite' ancient Egyptian dreams I've been having! I couldn't concentrate on school with them in my head, so I drew! Then I woke up on Wednesday and you had read them! _That's_ why I've been avoiding you!"

"You passed out on purpose?" Bakura asked, just to confirm his suspicions.

"Yes! I used two bags of the tea! School was miserable, but at least I didn't have to deal with you two more than seeing you sleeping together on the couch!"

_You interrupted my possible molestation time with Marik._ "I wasn't asleep. I heard you fall down the stairs. You could have gotten hurt. Marik and I took you upstairs to rest."

Ryou hadn't known that he'd passed out on the stairs. He had assumed that he made it to his bed since that was where he'd woken up. "I didn't know—"

"You weren't supposed to."

"Oh." He decided on his next question. "What have you been doing to me for the past week? I've been confused. First we get so close, then you run off with Marik, then you act suggestively, then you kiss Marik in front of me, then—"

Bakura held up a hand to stop the list of contemptible things he had done to the boy who had been so kind to him. "I get bored very easily. I only intended on going for that one day with Marik to ease the boredom a little, but then I kissed him on the roof because I decided he was hot. I came back here and was reminded of just how much I wanted _you_, but then he came back and wanted me to be his boyfriend so I said yes because I couldn't think of any better way to spend time while you weren't around. I need something else to do while you're at school, because Marik's already gotten the _wrong_ idea. I purposely gave _you_ the wrong idea just to see how you would react. I shouldn't have." _No, you shouldn't have. SHUT UP!_

"No, you shouldn't have," Ryou unknowingly agreed with Bakura's inner voice. "You've been driving me insane."

"I know. It was amusing…until last night. I finally realized that I'd gone too far. I'm…" Bakura paused. _I can't say it._ His dream-self seemed to have no qualms over repeating the words, over and over, but for the real Bakura, they stuck in the back of his throat, not wanting to surface. At least not over something like this, something that he _wasn't_ entirely remorseful for. "I'm…sorry, Ryou. It wasn't fair of me to play with you. You're…fragile. It was wrong to take advantage of that."

A slight frown crossed Ryou's lips at _fragile_. "I'm more resilient than I seem, Bakura." _But it still hurt._ "You aren't forgiven yet. You still have a lot to prove."

Bakura gave a dissatisfied grumble. _This may turn out to be more work than it's really worth._ The voice spoke. _He's worth every second you put into it, you selfish ass._ He repressed an irritated sigh. _I'm only doing this because he's a part of me. If I could avoid it, I most certainly would. No you wouldn't._

Ryou made another face to indicate that the other's reaction had not passed by unnoticed. "I need to get ready for school." He abandoned his teacup and hurried back upstairs before Bakura could sense the deeply hurt truth beneath his collected façade. The conversation had been going relatively well…and then it had just _stopped_. He felt like nothing had changed last night, that Bakura _was_ just continuing his twisted game of _Confuse the Ryou_. Only now he was being blatantly obvious about it. After all, wasn't that what he'd just said at the table? That he'd been giving Ryou the wrong idea—the idea that he _liked_ him—all week, the same way he had been with Marik? Or had he said he had spent the week giving Ryou the idea that he _didn't_ like him? _I'm so confused._ The conversation had gone in a full circle, leaving him just as perplexed as he had been for the past six days. Ryou pulled on his school uniform and brushed through his hair, staring at the mirror, not seeing his own reflection. Bakura was there, laughing his head off, less bored than ever before. Even though he knew it was just his imagination, it stabbed through his heart.

Downstairs, Bakura was physically punishing himself for his behavior, hitting his forehead against the table. _I REALLY messed up this time._ The words he had spoken ran through his head. "_I need something else to do while you're at school, because Marik's already gotten the wrong idea. I purposely gave you the wrong idea just to see how you would react."_ At the time they had seemed direct and clear, but now—after the fact, of course—he could see how they might get twisted until Ryou got it into his head that Bakura was playing the _exact_ same game with him as he was with Marik. _And I'm NOT. I never HAVE been._ He could imagine what was going through the boy's head now as he got dressed in his room, no doubt pondering their failed attempt at communication. _How the HELL will I be able to put THIS straight?_ As this thought crossed his mind, Bakura heard Ryou patter down the stairs. This would be the only chance he had to clear up every misconception he was certain the boy had before he disappeared for eight hours. Bakura jumped up and managed to grab Ryou's hand just before he laid it on the doorknob.

The boy turned to face him. His face was a thin mask, barely concealing exactly what Bakura had feared he was feeling. "What do you want, Bakura? I have to leave or I'll be late."

Bakura knew that Ryou would not stay for any words he might be able to get out. He knew he would only be given about ten seconds to respond before Ryou wrenched away and left. He had to act. And so, he pulled him close and pressed their lips together, holding back the side that wanted so badly to demand more.

The gesture caught Ryou entirely off guard, though in truth he knew he should have expected it. Despite his mind's protests, despite everything he had just considered upstairs, his hands curled around the lapels of Bakura's jacket and pulled him closer.

At this, Bakura nearly smirked—it _was_ funny in a way. But this kiss would already be filled with even _more_ miscommunications, so he resisted and pulled away, ignoring every part of him that screamed, _Further!_

Ryou was left in a breathless daze. He stared blankly, trying to gather himself and just _leave_ before anything else went wrong.

The expression on Ryou's face gave the strong implication that this hadn't been _nearly_ enough. Bakura laid a hand on his shoulder to keep him from leaving, though he had made no move to do so. "Let's talk when you get home this afternoon. There's a lot more to say, and we both know it."

Those words lifted the fog in the boy's mind. He wrapped his arms around Bakura's waist and murmured, "Okay." Then he left, feeling much lighter than he had in a long time.

Bakura stood in front of the door for a long time—wondering what was going wrong with himself—before turning away and plunging into how he would spend the day. It proved to be a sufficient distraction.

* * *

This wasn't exactly what I planned, not even the end—which has been on my mind since I decided on how to make Ryou sad enough for "Evil Angel". It kind of took a weird turn there in the middle. Personally, it's a little muddy, but I am as happy with it as I would be if I were to spend three weeks editing—and editing is _so_ not something that happens too often. So, here it is, chapter twenty-six. Please please _please_ review. I love hearing what you all think, and I am sad that I don't hear as much anymore. I know I get lots of views and visitors because my traffic graph tells me so. I'd like to have as many reviews as I have visitors, but that's a silly wish. Those of you who are considerate enough to do so, thanks in advance!

(Bleh, I sound so whiny sometimes. XD)


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